The moment they stepped through the colossal marble gate into the darkness beyond…
It was as if they had walked into a wall of water.
It was not a physical impact.
It was a suppressive, crushing aura.
A vacuum that seemed to suck the very oxygen from the air and weigh down the soul.
As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, they found themselves in a vast hall.
Its ceiling was lost in shadow.
It resembled less a chamber in a ruin…
And more a cursed cathedral dedicated to a forgotten god.
The floor was polished marble that held a faint glow, like moonlight.
Along the walls, chairs of carved wood were arranged in rows, as if awaiting an unseen congregation.
All faced a dais at the far end of the hall.
Everything possessed a simple, yet terrifying, grandeur.
At the very end of the room, a short flight of stairs led up to a platform.
A single, massive column, hewn from marble, stood there.
And upon that column rested the sole source of light in the room.
