Submitted: 9 June 1998

A Bard's Moongate

by Dreamheart Delaevan

Seer Zolrac Val'cra stood visiting with me on the Green of the Crossing. He had opened and closed several moongates already, when Phangor decided that he needed to travel southwards, too.

Zolrac's moongate led to Obsidian Pass, you see. So he made a funny face a few times and opened the moongate once more. Phangor stepped through it just as Zolrac said, "Better hurry back, Phangor!"

At that moment I heard a muttered oath and the moongate collapsed.

Zolrac stood there, distraught over the failure of his moongate to remain open. He was especially upset to think he had stranded Phangor down south. One of our companions suggested Phangor probably could get back on his own if he really wanted to (with a grin and a wink). But Zolrac felt the responsibility to provide the same service for the return trip as he had for Phangor's trip to the Obsidian Pass -- where he was still presumably stranded. (If anyone who uses Moon Magic is ever really "stranded".)

So Zolrac tried to get his moongate back. He made some funny faces again and waved his hands in the air.

Nothing happened.

His face was turning red now. He was getting frantic.

I suggested I could help with some harnessing for him if he could manage to just get the moongate going.

He looked at me and said, "I've got to hold enough harness to keep it open myself."

I do not really like arguing with mages, but I was pretty sure I had heard that someone could harness for the moon mage.

"I swear, Zolrac, if I am in your group, I think if I harness, and your harness is used up, that the moongate will remain open using my harness."

He still looked really dubious.

" Awww, come on, what could it hurt?" I coaxed him.

Zolrac shrugged and started making those funny faces again. So I joined him, harnessed up 20 power and waited for him to pull off the moongate.

A swirling vortex announced his successful completion of the moongate. I peered through it, there was Phangor all right. Zolrac started fretting again, hoping Phangor would hurry. Then, as Phangor stepped through the magical conveyance, Zolrac's eyes grew wide and he looked at me.

"I think you're the only thing keeping this moongate open now, Dreamheart!"

"My First Moongate!" I squealed in delight.

I continued to hold the mana while people came and went out of my moongate. Zolrac warned me that his moonbeam was nearing the point of disappearing, and the moongate had to be closed before that. The moment I released my held mana, the moongate folded itself closed.