Beyond the Seventh Gate🔊

In the quaint little town of Arkham, deep in the recesses of older New England, there sat a lonely farmhouse. It was known throughout the town as Berkley's Farm, named after the humble farmer, George Berkley, who tended it. This farmhouse, old yet sturdy, sat atop a ground that concealed an age-old secret.

George was the last living member of the Berkley family, having inherited his father's farm after his untimely death. He lived with his loyal dog, Mack, under the glimmering shadows of the Greenspring Woods. His days were spent toiling in the fields and spending quiet evenings by the hearth. His life was simple and uneventful until one day, he unearthed a strange, rusty gate in his fields that drew him to a world beyond his imagination.

The gate was ancient, forged from bronze and bathed in verdigris. Seven locks kept it sealed, and they bore inscriptions in a language unknown to him. George being an adventurous soul, decided to seek the knowledge of the town's old historian, Mr. Elias. Elias was intrigued by George's discovery and explained that those inscriptions were of an ancient civilization that believed in a world beyond ours, accessible through the mythical 'Seventh Gate'. George, although frightened, was possessed by intense curiosity.

Motivated by the prospect of exploration, George with the help of Elias tried unlocking the gate. The locks opened one by one, each one revealing a riddle that tested their wisdom. Six locks were successfully opened, only the seventh remained. It required a living being's free will as a key. George, after much deliberation, decided to step forward, and with an unsettled heart, he succeeded.

As the seventh gate groaned open, a surreal view welcomed them. It was an ethereal world, teeming with majestic creatures, monumental structures, and Wyverns flying in the pastel skies. The fields were rainbow-hued. The rivers flowed with an elixir, and the air hummed with an unworldly melody. It was like nothing they had ever witnessed. George realized his farmhouse sat atop a magical realm, hidden from human eyes for millennia.

In this world, they met the gate’s guards who appeared as radiant beings, saluting the bravery of those who could enter. George and Elias were treated with respect and shown around the realm. They learned about the ways of the creatures, their language, and culture. It was an enriching experience.

But things began to change when Elias greedily started smuggling the realm's riches back to Arkham. The creatures, initially welcoming, started growing wary. They confronted Elias, but his greed made him almost a stranger to George. He wouldn't listen. The discord led to a debacle where Elias was banished from the realm, and George was left alone.

George, feeling guilty for the disrespect shown by Elias, apologized and declared his intentions were just of exploration. His honesty moved the creatures, they decided to trust him again. George lived with them, learning more each day. He witnessed their world affected by seasons unknown to humans, survived the wrath of a tempest dragon, and marveled at the ethereal dance of the willow-wisps.

But he missed his farm and Mack. All this while, his farm was unattended, and Mack was living in the shed. The creatures sensed George's homesickness. Rava, the realm's Elder, understanding his dilemma, proposed a pact allowing George to visit his world by will. Overjoyed, George accepted, and thus, he lived between two worlds, tending to his farm and visiting this ethereal realm through the seventh gate.

The story of George Berkley's fantastic adventures spread around Arkham. Some believed him, others dismissed them as the eccentric tales of a lonesome farmer. However, George lived his life enriched with experiences beyond the common man. His heart bore the weight of a mysterious secret, and his eyes held a spark of an unseen world. The Berkley Farm was no longer just a farm; it was the gateway to an ethereal world.

Thus, the legend of the seventh gate still persists in Arkham. You may consider it a myth, a tale spun by the town’s eccentricities, or maybe, you could believe in something wondrously outlandish. For, who knows what lies Beyond the Seventh Gate?