Barbarian Fantasy City Gate Procession

Create a dark cinematic medieval fantasy scene titled {argument name="series title" default="Journey with the Barbarian 8"}: a front-facing, full-body, photorealistic procession in a rain-wet stone city gate. Show exactly two central human adventurers walking toward the viewer: on the left, a shorter blond curly-haired armored traveler in black scale armor, leather belts, boots, and a ragged black cloak, holding the reins of a white horse; on the right, a taller muscular barbarian with long dark curly hair, bare scarred torso partly visible under dark leather-and-metal armor, heavy belt, boots, bracers, and a ragged black cloak, holding the reins of a black horse. Their faces are intentionally hidden by plain matte dark-brown rectangular masks with no features. Show exactly two prominent horses flanking them: one white horse with pale mane on the left and one black horse on the right, both wearing dark medieval tack with metal rings and straps. Include exactly one partially visible armored escort at the far left edge, also with a small dark face-obscuring rectangle. The environment is a grand gothic stone archway with towering columns, wet cobblestones reflecting light, falling rain or water droplets, and a distant fantasy castle city with spires and battlements framed in the arch. Add exactly five visible dark navy hanging banners with gold heraldic symbols along the walls. Use dramatic low warm sunlight from the distant city, cool shadows in the gate, high detail, gritty realism, epic fantasy film still, 3:4 vertical composition, centered symmetry, shallow atmospheric haze, no readable text, no watermark.