The concealed passage spills Zerith, the dragon lieutenant, and the first black-armored troops beneath the abandoned aqueduct. Snow and darkness trail behind them.
Ancient foundations split with a thunderous groan. Below, black light wells upward, staining the arches and throwing enormous, half-seen limbs across the stone.
the dragon lieutenant
Hold formation. The royal city lies beyond these stones, but the reliquary has awakened before our vanguard fully emerges.
The troops halt at the broken threshold. Their dead silence meets a deeper sound below, a slow grinding breath that trembles through armor and bone.
the ancient guardian
Turn back, intruders. The road beneath the throne is sealed, and no hand of death shall claim what sleeps below.
A colossal shape shifts beneath the aqueduct, still buried in darkness. Stone plates rise like a mountain spine as black radiance pours between them.
the dragon lieutenant
Master, the guardian can seal the passage with a single awakening. The army is close enough to reach the city, but not if this breach closes.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get past the ancient guardian
✓ Quest Accepted
Claim the reliquary's necromantic power
“I use dark magic to enthrall the guardian.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled -2)
Zerith raises one hand, and darkness gathers around his fingers like ink drawn from the roots of the world. His mismatched eyes fix upon the guardian’s buried crown.
The spell enters the ancient ward through every crack in the stone. Black sigils coil over the guardian’s plates, binding its will to the necromancer’s command.
The ancient curse answers with sudden heat. Pain sears through Zerith’s arm, and a thread of his vitality drains into the guardian’s colossal shadow.
the ancient guardian
Your will stands above the seal, death-bearer. I recognize your command, and I shall not close this road.
The guardian lowers its stone-plated head. Black radiance withdraws from the passage, revealing stairs descending beneath the aqueduct toward the reliquary.
the dragon lieutenant
The breach remains open. At your price, master, the thing beneath the throne now serves our advance.
the ancient guardian
Name the gate, and I will break its silence. Name the dead, and they will rise beneath your banner.
Quest Complete
Get past the ancient guardian