The Witch stood infront of the impossing gates leading into the mines...

It was a long journey that had brought her here. She had survived her sentence of exile, and instead of succumbing to the madness of this land, she had thrived. The ones who had exiled her here had already their fate at her hands.

Now here she was, at the entrance to the tunnels that would lead her to the source of the corruption in Wraeclast, the very source of all thaumaturgy. A smirk crept its way onto her normally expressionless face. She could hardly wait.

The sturdy gates baring the entrance were massive: even the biggest of Kaurui warriors would seem as nothing standing before them. And they were more than just the physical. The Witch's experienced eyes could easily make out the arcane symbols and glyphs engraved upon the solid wood. With her extensive knowledge of thaumaturgy, she could tell that the intricate spell upon the door rendered it nigh invulnerable to and magical or physical forces, even the passage of time itself. And indeed, the gate had stood intact for centuries ever since the Purity Rebellion. One would have better luck bringing the entire mountain down than forcing their way through that barrier.

Fortunately, she had no need to resort to such measures. She looked down at the tattered red banner she held in her hand, the banner of Deshret, the Red Sekhema. She raised it high in front of the gates and immediately felt a thrum of power awakening within it. In a flash, the arcane barrier which had held the gate shut for centuries vanished. The massive doors slowly, ominously opened, releasing a rush of stale, fetid air thick with the stench of corruption.

Her heart pounded with a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and, she had to admit to herself, a bit of fear. No living soul had set foot into these mines for centuries. Who knew what foul, eldritch aberrations awaited within? She held up her hand, a mass of withering chaotic energies held in her palm, ready to be flung at the first creature to assault her, and stepped inside...

"You there, let me bend your ear a moment!"

Her shoulders slumped and the arcane energies held at the ready vanished. She stared ahead blankly at Vagan, the Weaponmaster for a few moments before letting out a sigh and proceeding forward to talk with him.

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based on a true story

apologies if this isn't the right forum for this, but I figured this counted as fanfiction