abstract
| - The spirit portals appear as beams of energy extending from the ground upward. A portal can be torn open by a large input of energy, such as amplified spirit energy extracted from spirit vines. Only Avatars can close existing portals with a single touch, causing the beams to diminish into orbs. A sealed portal can only be reopened from the physical world by using the same process during one of the solstices, as that is when the divide between the two worlds is the weakest. Sealed portals are impervious to attempts to open them from anyone else but the Avatar, as they cannot be forcibly opened by physical force, such as aggressive feats of bending. As physical gateways, spirit portals provide humans with a direct passage into the Spirit World, which is simpler compared to the more sophisticated method of using meditation as a means of entry. In addition, the use of spirit portals allows individuals to retain their bending abilities in the Spirit World, as well as bring material objects that would otherwise remain in the mortal realm after entry through meditation. Conversely, spirit portals give spirits a direct passage into the physical world, providing them the opportunity to remain in the mortal realm without sacrificing their immortality. During Harmonic Convergence, the Northern and Southern spirit portals will overlap and experience an amplification of spiritual energy, provided that they are both open during the phenomenon. The energetic increase provided by Harmonic Convergence strengthens the two gateways and negates any attempts to close them, while the influx of energy from the overlap can be utilized by nearby spirits in numerous ways, such as to break free from a prison bound by spiritual energy and to permanently fuse with a human host. In the mortal realm, the overlap of the Northern and Southern spirit portals can provide spirits and spiritual projections with a means of traveling anywhere in the physical world instantaneously.
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