"You may not like it, but this is the best way. You play nice, I play nice, and we all get out of here alive."
-Maron, right before he died
The Events at the Old Gate refer to the enactment of an ancient Shardmind ritual which allowed the Sandstriders (and some others) to finally leave Vuul'kira.
Background[]
Through their travels, the party discovered that there was only one way to get out of Vuul'kira: by enacting an ancient Shardmind ritual using the Seven Colored Gems.
The Sandstriders collected six of the seven stones – but their nemesis, Maron, had gotten the last one. He suggested a parlay – and offered the party their old friend Asana, alive and well, back as a peace offering. They struck a deal where everyone worked together to get out – everyone contributed the stones they had, and everyone could go through.
The Ritual[]
When the time came, however, there were some complications. One, a huge storm started coming toward the site where the portal would be opened from the West. When the lightning from the storms in Vuul’kira hit the sand, it would create giant glass monsters which could wreak havoc.
Two, the Genasi armies were advancing from the East, seeking retribution for the Destruction of the Spire, and to get their gem back. The party had to make a choice: go ahead immediately with the ritual and try to ride out the storm, or wait until the storm passed and maybe have to deal with the Genasi armies. They elected the former.
Present at this event: Brak, Tolsmir, McCreedy, Quen, Pointy. Asana, Maron, The Professor. Treyn, Daneida, Eldak, Rakeesh, Bahamut, Erathis, The Raven Queen.
As the ritual came to a close, the storm started picking up fiercely. Almost as soon as the portal was opened, the Professor activated some sort of sabotage of the Green Gem, and the portal began closing. He jumped through, giving two middle fingers to everyone. Chaos ensued. Daneida, the changeling leader of the rebels, attacked Maron, which caused a mass fight between rebels and Oasians. Glass monsters started forming from the lightning. There was fighting all around. One by one, the party made their way to, and through, the portal. All except Pointy, who told Eldak, his sister’s husband, to go in his place. Left behind were Rakeesh and Treyn, a Shadr-Kai who had been helping the party.
Pointy[]
After all the party except he had made it through, Pointy made a choice. He didn’t want the Genasi to be able to reopen the portal and kill his friends. So, when he was sure they were all safe, he grabbed the green gem and used a teleportation power called Faestep – and disappeared from existence entirely.
Aftermath[]
The Sandstriders were returned to their bodies and discovered that they had been possessed by Cyric and used for evil means. The Professor and Daneida both returned to Vitaurum; the former entered the employ of Eighth Son, while the latter reunited with her lover Darnyr. Little is known about the others who made it out, such as Richard Koshek, and even less about those left behind.