Pluto's Gate Uncovered in Turkey

Summary

March 29, 2013: Italian archaeologists have uncovered a site near Pamukkale, Turkey which they believe to be Pluto's Gate (Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin) - an entrance to the Underworld. Lethal mephitic vapors generated by nearby hot springs prevented people from entering it, with only the eunuch priests of Cybele entering the portal itself (presumably they held their breath). Tourists and pilgrims threw birds such as sparrows into the portal to tests its effects and priests (who hallucinated from the fumes) sacrificed bulls at the site.

See Also:

Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found in Mexico - pretty much the same thing on the other side of the planet.

Source

Bibliography

1. Original article

2. Arcana Wiki Map entry

Game and Story Use

• Entirely in the classical tradition for someone who knows the right rituals to use this gate to wander into the underworld and bother the dead, dead, gaining much occult knowledge in the process.
  • Or even just summon their spirits to indulge in necromancy
  • Of course intruders might accidentally (or deliberately) break the wards that keep the dead in, thus releasing them to wreak havoc in the normal world.
    • • Possibly as an attempt to "do an Orpheus" and resurrect someone…
    • This might trigger a localised zombie apocalypse.
• Could be a bad place - or just a weak spot where it's easy to open an extraplanar gate
• Far from the only "gateway to the underworld" on the planet - apart from the Mexican example above Lake Avernus was also said to fulfill a similar function.
• An actual portal to Hell. Do we really need to spell out its possible uses?
  • Noting, of course that the classical Hades and the pseudo-Christian idea of Hell are different places. A gate to Hades would simply allow you to enter "the afterlife" - to find a place in which sinners are punished you would need to travel through Hades as far as Tartarus.
• That being said, even its described mundane effects can be used for great effect in campaigns without supernatural powers.