Round 16

As Halie stepped forward, her silver holy symbol held ready, Jeane's eyes widened with a mix of excitement and trepidation. The faint, shifting pattern on the gate's runes seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, and Seraphine's quill scratched against parchment with increased urgency. Merrin, meanwhile, edged closer to the gate, her dark eyes scanning the pressure plate with a practiced intensity, her voice barely above a whisper as she pondered the sequence of light and shadow. With each passing moment, the ward's hum grew weaker, its power waning like a dying breath, leaving the party to face the unknown dangers that lurked beyond the gate.