Working on that IC stuff!  In the meantime I've added a small writeup on drop-gates on the first post of the OOC, cuz it'll be important fairly early:

[quote]Each large town is built around its own drop-gate. The drop-gates are ancient circles of astranechite (a diamond-hard mineral, violet-black marbleized with pale green, one of only three minerals known to perpetually generate energy) embedded upright in the ground. A wide stone platform has been built around each drop-gate, and two gatekeepers posted as its sentry.

Each origin gatekeeper keeps a set of keys, one for each known drop-gate. Keys are circular, about the size of the palm of a hand, and usually made of metal or stone. The surface of the key is usually embellished with the insignia of the corresponding town or city. The underside of the key is a raised delicate pattern of lines and circles, entirely unique to each drop-gate.

The gatekeeper will usually charge a fee (sometimes very high) for passage through the gate. Upon acceptance of the fee, the gatekeeper will insert the corresponding key into a circular cavity on the side of the drop-gate. The marbleized stone will hum and vibrate slightly, but there is no other indication of activation. For exactly ten seconds after the key has been inserted, anyone or anything that passes through the drop-gate will step out on the other side of the gate at the chosen destination. Those unaccustomed to gate travel will, upon stepping through, experience a sense of vertigo and falling, which may last up to a few hours after travel.

The destination gatekeeper greets incoming travelers, gives directions, and calls for a wheelchair if the "dropped" traveler is unable to stand.[/quote]

Very rich traders, as well as the Tin Dragon agents, carry their own keys. In this case, the gatekeeper will simply step aside and let the person insert their own key and go through. The key does not have to stay in the lock, it'll stay active for ten seconds regardless. :)