And so it begins anew

Amidst the enormity of the surrounding wall, Graev’s Gate seemed almost an afterthought.  Only by standing next to it does one realize that it’s maw is so massive, ten armored men can stand shoulder to shoulder and still pass through it cleanly.

And there we stood, the gate laying open, but the portcullis beyond was still lowered.  I had given her the warnings; I had made her aware of the evil that lay beyond.  Would her courage fail her now, as so many others’ had, in the past?

The magess gulped, her hands visibly shaking in the rising sun’s light.  Were we not standing here, I would blame it on the chill of the fall morning.  I heard her gulp again, but, bravely, she stepped forward a few feet.

I nodded to the guardsman, who turned the crannequin and raised the portcullis, allowing a bit more of the shadowy fog to drift into the tunnel.  Very little light shone at the end, and yet she continued her walk, determined to meet the evil which has plagued this world for far too long.