Zerith remains within the reliquary chamber as the crown’s black light pulses around his marked arm. Through stone and buried distance, battle cries shudder into the vault.
the dragon lieutenant
Master, living wardens gather above the captured stair. They have found our breach, and their first barricades are already forming.
The dragon lieutenant’s voice reaches the chamber through the crown’s command, distant but sharp. The oathbound dead hold the foundations below him, while the vanguard remains spread along the seized approach.
the ancient guardian
A consecrated gatehouse is sealing against the dead. Its ward is older than the city’s current walls, and it will reject spirits that cross without a living claim.
the first monarch
The first approach is held, but briefly. The living have gathered courage beneath their stones, and courage often becomes a stronger ward than iron.
the dragon lieutenant
Give me moments, master. I can press the stair, but the gatehouse will close before the host reaches it unless its sanctity is broken.
The crown tightens its unseen connection to the distant battle. Below the reliquary, thousands of dead wait in disciplined silence, while the ancient guardian watches Zerith for his next command.
Break the consecrated gatehouse ward
Secure the western approach against the living wardens