The Portal

Reaching the bottom of the long descent, the narrow tunnel opened into a massive underground hall. The room practically oozed ancient, forgotten history, towering stone pillars carved with intricate mythological scenes, deeply engraved cave walls, and high arched ceilings that looked thousands of years old.

At the exact center of the vast hall, a grand circular array was engraved into the polished stone floor, filled with countless complex, glowing runes.

Standing guard at three distinct points around the circle were three towering knights clad in full, pitch-black plate armor. Longswords rested point-down in their gauntleted hands. The moment Alistair and I stepped into the hall, all three knights snapped to attention, their heavy steel armor clanking loudly as they dropped onto one knee in synchronized reverence.

"Lord Alistair," the lead knight said, his voice deep and echoing through his dark helm.