Though Embertrail is home to many pseudo-Infinites and similarly long-lived and influential creatures, none is as beloved as Ha-raliel. Known as the Guardian of the Triplet Gate, Ha-raliel has resided there at least a thousand years, and makes it clear that he has no plans to leave. But it's not his extended residency that gives the locals reason to adore him so... It's his self-assigned mission: Ha-raliel works tirelessly to defend the city of the Triplet Gate from the Hollow, which is a Primal Force that nourishes exponentially more invasive alien ecosystems wherever it is allowed to exist unhindered.

While his fellow citizens are precious to him, the city's true value lies in its namesake: There are only three known permanent Monoliths across the entire world of Embertrail, and the Triplet Gate houses all three of them. Monoliths are supernatural structures that allows the near-instantaneous transport of living things to the Monolith's matching pair. Most are temporary (even if some may linger for generations), and only transfer to and from other universes. The Triplet Gate is the only exception, with its three Monoliths that connect Embertrail to three other habitable planets among the local stars.

The residents of Triplet Gate view their monoliths as a great responsibility, Ha-raliel most among all of them. Hundreds of years of study and practice has shaped him into an effective defender, even when unsupported by an army or militia. He is ranked as a master practitioner of two out of the four Primal Forces (Frenzy and Hymn), does not appear to age, and despite his intimidating appearance, he is beloved for his protective yet gentle demeanor among the people. Many will eagerly share experiences where they glimpsed Ha-raliel in action running for the outer walls, or darting from rooftop to rooftop with his twin swords drawn, or arriving to the defense of a passing caravan or local farmer with the speed of a bolt of lightning. He holds a special loathing for all things Hollow, including its controversial practitioners, regardless of their track record of safety.

Fun Fact: A network of natural maze-like gorges surrounds Triplet Gate, creating a convenient barrier for would-be invaders. The city employs massive amounts of caretakers to tend to the Shizod Garden - A layer of purple alien lichen-like organisms that line the ravines' steep slopes. The Shizod were imported through one of the Triplet Gates as a defensive tool because when the colony "blooms", it produces a heavy toxic gas that sinks into the ravines, suffocating any would-be intruders that might attempt to bypass the city's defenses through the low ground. The city's caretakers ensure that the Shizod thrive in their intended location, while not allowing them to spread beyond it. Luckily, Shizod aren't aggressive spreaders, so they pose little threat of naturalizing.

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<sup>This submission is a part of one of my worldbuilding projects: The Last Dream of Embertrail. Embertrail is only tangentially related to Trinity Project.

Embertrail lies at a cosmic crossroads, where strange magical structures called Monoliths constantly bring new people, ideas, cultures, and conflicts from all across the cosmic waters. It's a wild and merciless place, where the primordial forces of the universe come to life, and powerful otherworldly beings roam unchecked. It's a place where you could forge a new life... or it could forge one for you.</sup>