The royal chamber of Eitria opens beneath vaulted black stone. Chester Woodsquire, a broad-shouldered adult male tiefling with dark umber skin, a shaved head, and heavy black armor beneath a red cloak, and Juntire Parrywills, a slim young adult man with pale skin, tousled ash-brown hair, and narrow blue robes layered over a high-collared shirt flank Glalin as braziers cast red light across a vast war map.
At its center stands the King of Eitria, an imposing elderly tiefling man in layered crimson robes, his single crown-horn wrapped in gold chain. Pale fire burns in his eyes.
King of Eitria
You arrive at the final moment. The border stronghold must be offered, or the eastern armies may break through and consume Eitria.
He presses two fingers to the map. A fortress sigil flares, then gutters beneath a ring of burning marks that crawl toward the capital.
Juntire Parrywills
A sacrifice of that scale could tear the myst. Victory for either side would become meaningless if the balance collapses.
Chester Woodsquire
Then let the enemy come closer. I would rather break their host than abandon our own.
King of Eitria
Speak, Glalin Moondale. Challenge this order or support it. Once the seal descends, no lord in Eitria can recall it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Prevent the sacrifice from collapsing the myst
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve the balance between good and evil
“"Glalin steps forward" This is a monumental decision. If we sacrifice the Border Hold, then we lose a potential showstopper for our enemies. We need this hold to defend the rest of Eitria against the enemy.”
FAILURE (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Glalin Moondale
Glalin steps forward. “The Border Hold must remain. It is our shield against the eastern armies, and surrendering it leaves Eitria exposed.”
His words cross the chamber, but the fortress sigil dims beneath King of Eitria’s burning hand. The ring of marks advances, sealing the sacrifice into royal law.
King of Eitria
You mistake a shield for a grave. The Hold is already surrounded. Its walls cannot defend Eitria if they become the road by which our enemies enter.
Chester Woodsquire
Then the order condemns its defenders before the battle begins. Give me the Hold, and I will make its walls costly to cross.
Juntire Parrywills
Wait. Glalin is right about its position. The myst runs beneath that fortress, not merely around it. We may preserve the defense without preserving the garrison.
A thin silver line appears beneath the fortress sigil, leading toward an old subterranean gate marked in forgotten script. King of Eitria’s seal halts, but does not withdraw.
King of Eitria
The Border Hold cannot be saved as it stands. Yet that buried gate may turn its sacrifice into a ward. Find its key, and the order can be remade.
“I can perhaps try something. If I am given a battalion of good skeletal warriors, then I may be able to construct sigils of death along the road. These sigils will then allow us to take down a chunk of the opponent, which will allow our armies to crush them and push back down the pathways.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Glalin Moondale
Give me a battalion of skeletal warriors, and I can raise death sigils along the road to weaken the eastern armies.
Silence settles over the chamber. The silver line beneath the Border Hold brightens, and the forgotten script begins translating itself in cold blue fire.
King of Eitria
Granted. The dead who serve Eitria will march beneath your command, and the royal seal will lend power to your sigils.
Juntire Parrywills
Then the gate becomes the heart of the ward. Your marks can drain the enemy's advance without breaking the myst's balance.
The king's burning fingers redraw the fortress sigil. Beneath it, a road of black runes unfolds toward the eastern approaches, each mark answering the next.
Chester Woodsquire
At last, a command with teeth. I will gather the battalion and hold the road while the work is done.
By the time the royal seal descends, death sigils stand along the buried road, and the skeletal battalion assembles beyond the chamber doors. Far east, enemy banners falter as their vanguard enters the warded ground.
Quest Complete
Prevent the sacrifice from collapsing the myst
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great
Quest Complete
Preserve the balance between good and evil
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Great→Superb