Entrance Hall Antechamber

The narrow antechamber beyond the entrance hall opens with a flush of cold marble underfoot, the air carrying the scent of aged wood and polished stone. Dim light spills from a high, arched window casting long shadows across the wall, where gilt-framed portraits of Chloris’ nobility watch silently. A single hinged door stands slightly ajar, leading deeper into the palace’s private wing, its brass handle worn from repeated use. Guards stand rigid at the threshold, their spears crossed like a deliberate barrier, their presence emphasizing the passage’s role as a controlled threshold rather than a thoroughfare.