Heaven's Gate
A casino built past the reach of the mainland, where the house was never the thing to be afraid of. This is the table Drew sat at in Relapse. You get one stake. Nobody here is going to offer you another.
Drew came home from West Rose with nothing left but the crew and a debt they were all carrying. Heaven's Gate was supposed to fix it. This is the night it didn't. Art by Bryson Boutte.
Heaven's Gate
The way in.
Bad Habits
The house always collects.
Money
What was under the seat.
Torch
The first relic.
Then the water
Drew rows until he can't. What finds him out there is the next chapter.
Pick your wager and take a card.
What you win here isn't chips
They put you out
No scene, no argument. Someone opens a door you didn't know was there, and the noise of the floor stops behind you. There's water at the bottom of the steps and a boat nobody is guarding.
See what happens nextAbout Heaven's Gate
Heaven's Gate is a fictional casino in Relapse, the graphic novel published by We Had Our Time. It sits inside the East Koham Estates, a chain of man-made private islands off Steadfast City built by the East Side Elite syndicate to operate beyond the reach of mainland law. The published story opens there, in the middle of things.
It is the midpoint of the Relapse arc and the place the story turns. Drew is put out of the casino and leaves the islands by rowboat. Under the seat he finds Demeter's Torch, his first relic, and lighting it gives him a glimpse of Aaru, the Fields of Eternity. Everything after — the drift, the rescue, the reckoning that Seven is built around — follows from that night. The panels above tell it; the blackjack table is that night, playable.
The chips are play money. They have no value and buy nothing. Start the story at the beginning, or hear the record the casino is scored by at wehadourtime.com/music.
Questions
What is Heaven's Gate in Relapse?
Heaven's Gate is a fictional casino in Relapse, the graphic novel published by We Had Our Time. It sits in the East Koham Estates, a chain of man-made private islands off Steadfast City. It is where the published story opens, and it is the midpoint of the arc.
Is this related to the Heaven's Gate cult or the 1980 film?
No. This Heaven's Gate is a fictional casino in a graphic novel called Relapse by We Had Our Time, and has no connection to the 1997 Heaven's Gate group or to Michael Cimino's 1980 western of the same name.
Can I play the blackjack game for real money or prizes?
No. The chips are play money. They have no cash value, cannot be bought, and cannot be cashed out. You cannot win anything by winning hands.
How do you unlock the Heaven's Gate discount code?
By playing 50 hands. That is the only condition — whether you win or lose makes no difference, and your chip total is irrelevant. The code is 10% off Heaven's Gate products and opens on January 1, 2027.
What happens when you run out of chips?
You get put out of the casino, which is what happens to Drew in the story. There is no top-up. Losing everything is the event the rest of Relapse follows from.
What is Demeter's Torch?
Demeter's Torch is the first relic Drew finds in Relapse. After he is put out of Heaven's Gate, he finds it wedged under the seat of the rowboat. It sparks to life when he touches it, and lighting it gives him a glimpse of Aaru, the Fields of Eternity.
Where are the East Koham Estates?
The East Koham Estates are a chain of man-made private islands off Steadfast City in the Relapse world, built by the East Side Elite syndicate to operate outside mainland law. Heaven's Gate sits within them.