The Gate Trees

The Seed Lords planted the first Gate Trees. They sowed them in rain-filled footsteps of a Giant who roamed the worlds at the dawn of time. Gate Trees are still alive today, and are thus extremely old. But very few Gate Trees today produce viable seeds. If you see saplings near the trunk of one of these trees, water them and tend them well.

Photo c. 2012 by John Everett Till

When you first see a Gate Tree, look at its trunk. The bark is like a map. It tells the story of the Earth in which it has grown, and the diversity of lands that the tree's roots reach through the Earth in which it grows. It also tells the story of the skies into which it reaches, and of the worlds beyond its branches.

Photo c. 2012 John Everett Till

Next, read the fault lines in the bark. The tree will show you a way to get inside of it. Put your hands inside the gap and push your way inside and through to the roots and branches. Its roots drink deep from the waters of the lands far and wide within the world where it was planted. The Gate Tree's leaves sway with the breezes of the worlds that the Giant never reached.

Photo c. 2012 John Everett Till

A Gate Tree's branches fork into numerous worldpaths, reaching up toward the stars. The broader the branch, the safer and more well-traveled the worldpath. The narrower the branch, the less frequently traveled and the more perilous the journey will be for you. Be brave. Climbing the Tree Gates is never an easy path, but it is a sure way to find adventure.

Find the heart of the tree, and you can create a path to Otherway.