Internal Memorandum
Site L.I.P.
Location #17 – 45° 30′ 10.5″ N x 7° 08′ 48.6″ E
Scout Lead: P. Fawcett
Viability: FEASIBLE – Strongly consider
Project: Rodin Gate
Mission Purpose: Scout location for Rodin Gate project. Lab work has reached it’s final stages. If we’re going to establish the connectors to heaven & hell, we need a removed place to ingest and house divine/demonic entities. Requirements include space, relative isolation without being inaccessibly remote, water source. Should the Gate succeed as a pathway between the two afterlives and Earth, we will require space to engage in diplomatic relations, to temporarily or semi-permanently house OtherWorlders, and act as a de facto seat of government.
Site Topography: Localized plateau. Mostly short, hardy grass that can survive the winters. Sharp downhill slope N and E, steady uphill to local peak to the NW. Altitude low enough to enjoy moderate weather in spring/summer, but it will be cold and snowy in the winters. Building materials will need to be sturdy, winter-rated. Wood for fires (necessary in winter) easily accessible further downhill. Local guides say it’s far enough into plateau to be clear of avalanche, but we’d want a second opinion from seismologist to be certain.
Water in pond is crystal clear and tested free of any worrying microbes. It could easily be blessed and used as a source of holy water for the Gate’s construction and, eventually, for any necessary rituals required by OWers upon their arrival on Earth. It’s refreshed at the end of each winter by snowmelt.
Large grass patches dot the plateau, though a decent amount of ground is exposed stone. It should be enough for nominal grazing of smaller livestock. No soil remotely close to viable for large-scale agriculture, so greenhouses would be an essential part of the complex.
Wide open space! Incredible view of the sky, visibility for miles in three directions on a clear day. Local peak is scalable in a day hike. It would likely require a guard post, with 3- or 4-man teams changing out every 24 hours. Genuinely free of any historical Judeo-Christian activity/events that might pollute it’s viability as a Gate location. In short, it’s both an excellent fit for our specs and an aesthetic wonder.
Location: Italian alps. Local neighbors are a few miles away. Lots of ski resort towns in the area where standard living supplies can easily be collected without arousing suspicion. Semi-permanent local road is about half a mile east, downhill. Rarely traveled, and only in summer. Buildings constructed upslope and kept at one- or two-stories could not be seen from road. We could knock out the road on both ends to bar access, but that might raise suspicion and, worse, could hamper us in an emergency.
Est. Cost: Building materials would be more expensive here than most locations given the need to withstand an alpine winter. But it’s noticeably more accessible than the sites scouted in Asia and South America. And the locals here would be less curious than those in similar sites in North America. Structural complex plus labor would run about $150m. Places it as 3rd most expensive of current sites.
Recommendation: Give strongest possible consideration. This is an ideal spot to continue the work on the Rodin Gate project.
The Tall Tale Year 