The Twelfth Gate (Lore Concept)
The Twelfth Gate is the final threshold in the Twelve Rites of Ascension—a metaphysical and literal passage that separates mortals from divinity. Each of the previous eleven rites shapes a human soul according to how the world perceives them: virtue, knowledge, mystery, etc. But the Twelfth Gate is different. It is not shaped by fame or worship—it is crossed only when the aspirant's influence becomes inescapable, irrevocable, and unchallenged.
Some believe:
It exists only within the mind, a final test of will and identity.
Others claim it is a real place, sealed in the ruins of a Pre-Rift city, built as both vault and gateway.
A few whisper it is not a gate to godhood—but a gate out of it: a backdoor to undo a divinity that has gone mad or failed.
The reason people only speak of it in nightmares? Opening the Twelfth Gate may tear open reality itself, collapsing the veil between mortal perception and divine power. It could be:
A beacon for lost gods.
A trap for would-be ascendants.
Or a doomsday switch built by the first gods, in case of betrayal.