As the first paired watches leave the farmhouse, Thren Anvile and Veyra take the western fence while Beelz and Victor head north. Panko and Corin move toward the store road, and Tarna, King Gandien, Jack Finch, Merrin, Bram, and Drim begin their assigned routes.
A powerful wingbeat rolls across the fields. Valtor descends beyond the fence, his dusky bronze scales catching the morning light, then folds his broad wings beside his long, spined tail.
Valtor
I intercepted a raven carrying your letter. After speaking with the bird, I decided to come personally and lend my strength to the farm’s defense.
The vast dragon lowers his swept-back head toward the farmhouse, careful to keep his claws beyond the marked boundary. The peaceful terms around his nest and Devia remain untouched, but every watch route now requires a dragon’s place.
Merrin Holt
Then we will revise the ledger. Valtor can cover the open fields without disturbing the roads, the town, or the nesting ridge.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
A guardian who can see beyond every fence is welcome here. We only need to decide where his watch best serves the farm.
The allies pause at their routes, waiting for Dagg’s direction. Morning light glints along Valtor’s horns as the dragon remains patiently outside the boundary, ready to fit his strength into the household’s careful plan.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“Glad you are here Valtor. I think your role will be easy, just fly over the entire farm land, and if you see anything, breath fire into the sky to alert everyone. {Dagg looks down at the dirt and around at his farm then looks back up} Also I want to thank everyone for being here, I havent been completely honest with everyone but I think now is a good time. {Everyone closes in to listen} The reason you all are here, is because a Lich killed my family when I was young and she has been hunting me ever since. She is the Lich Queen, and probably will send in hordes of undead before she shows herself. I just want everyone to be fully prepared. {Dagg does not say that he is a lich as he still wants to keep that provate, afraid of everyones reaction.}”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Dagg Nabbitt
Valtor, fly over the entire farmland. If you see anything, breathe fire into the sky and alert everyone. And thank you all for being here. I have not been completely honest. A lich killed my family when I was young, and she has hunted me ever since. She is the Lich Queen, and she may send hordes of undead before she appears. I want everyone prepared.
Dagg’s words draw the gathered allies inward. His easy ranch manner gives way to a clear account of danger, while responsible delegation turns fear into a duty each person can understand and perform.
Valtor
Then the open sky becomes my watch. I will patrol the farmland and mark danger with flame above the fields, while keeping clear of the roads and my nesting ridge.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
You have told us enough to prepare, Dagg. Whatever comes from the Queen, it will find this household standing together.
King Gandien
Your warning is heard and accepted. I will place the farm’s defense within a lawful command, and no one here will mistake secrecy for weakness.
Thren begins checking weapons and warding supplies. Veyra and Beelz compare the strongest approaches, while Merrin revises the ledger around Valtor’s aerial signal. Victor quietly asks where the best stores are kept.
Dagg’s relaxed reluctance toward tedious planning yields to the work, while his peace-steady voice keeps the gathering focused. Above them, Valtor rises, circles the farm, and waits for no enemy to cross unseen.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“I would like to hear from everyone about this many questions or concerns you may have. please ask me now.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +4)
Dagg Nabbitt
I have told you what hunts us. Now I want to hear every question or concern you have. Please ask me plainly, and we will answer together.
The farmhouse grows quiet. Dagg listens without rushing anyone, weighing each question as carefully as a witness statement while the gathered allies lean closer around the table.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
My concern is command. If the dead arrive in force, who decides where we stand, and how do we protect the children and workers without scattering the household?
King Gandien
I ask whether the Queen can command you through your nature, Dagg. If she can, we need safeguards prepared before battle, not after it.
Thren Anvile
My concern is supply. Wards, weapons, water, and replacements must be counted. I can inspect every weapon here and mark what needs reinforcement.
Valtor
My question is simple. If I see an undead host, may I burn the earth before it reaches your walls, or must I wait for your signal?
The questions expose a useful truth: the allies are not merely waiting for orders. Gandien immediately grants the farm a crown emergency beacon and authority to summon nearby guards, giving Dagg a lawful alarm beyond Valtor’s flame.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“Tarna, Protect children and workers first and foremost. my plan is to lure her here, away from the inner walls of Devia. My King, She can not command me and has no way of doing so, we are safe there. Thren, do you see that big shed over there. {Dagg points behind his house to a massive shed he built a few years ago} That shed has weapons, armor, and supplies for months of the worst possible scenario, we should be good there. And Valtor, if you see any undead, you light them up, the land can be repaired. {Dagg waits fo questions from everyone else}”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Dagg Nabbitt
Tarna, protect the children and workers first. My plan is to lure her here, away from Devia’s inner walls. My King, she cannot command me, and we are safe there. Thren, that great shed holds weapons, armor, and supplies for months. Valtor, if you see undead, light them up. The land can be repaired. I’ll hear everyone else’s questions now.
Dagg points behind the farmhouse to the massive shed he built years ago. He opens the field journal, checks its supply notes against the shed’s stores, and records the defense plan with exact assignments and fallback routes.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
Then the children and workers remain inside the protected center, with paired escorts during every movement. If the Queen comes, we draw her toward this prepared ground, not toward Devia’s homes.
King Gandien
Your certainty about her command is accepted. I will keep the crown beacon ready and authorize the city guard to reinforce this farm when your signal rises.
Thren Anvile
A shed stocked for months changes the calculation. I’ll inspect every weapon, armor strap, ward, and water barrel, then mark what needs repair before nightfall.
Valtor
I will burn any undead I see above the fields. I will keep clear of Devia and my nesting ridge, and my fire will announce the danger.
The allies accept the arrangement without dispute. Merrin adds the shed, beacon, paired escorts, and Valtor’s aerial signal to the ledger, while Dagg seals the revised journal and waits for further questions.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“Beelz, Veyra, Victor, do you all have any questions for me?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Dagg Nabbitt
Beelz, Veyra, Victor, do you all have any questions for me?
Dagg opens the field journal and turns to a clean page. The quiet paperwork weighs against his relaxed nature, but his peace-steady voice and habit of questioning witnesses keep the invitation patient and clear.
Beelz
If the undead come, do I have leave to meet them beyond the walls, or must I wait for your command?
Veyra Stoneheart
What does the Queen want from this farm, and what must we protect if she refuses your lure?
Victor
How will we recognize her servants, and may I use the great shed as a safe place for my spellwork and provisions?
Dagg Nabbitt
Beelz, you may engage undead beyond the walls after the beacon rises, unless civilians are at risk. Veyra, she seeks me and the strength I carry, but everyone here comes before the lure. Victor, watch for purple smoke and unnatural corpse-light; use the great shed for your work. I will record these answers and stand responsible for the plan. The cost is that my secret now carries your suspicion, and I accept that.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“Okay now I will try and get her attention, everyone be at the ready and begin patrols now. {Dagg walks over to the scrap that The Lich Queen left on the farm. he picks it up and burns it with his purple flames from his sword, watching as magic is released into the air with every second the scrap burns.}”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Dagg Nabbitt
Everyone, be ready and begin patrols now. I am going to get the Lich Queen’s attention.
The allies move at once. Tarna takes the inner yard, Merrin directs the paired routes, and Valtor rises beyond the fence to watch the farmland from the open sky.
Dagg lifts the blue-marked scrap beside the eastern boundary. He reads its hidden signs before acting, distinguishing the sensing pattern from any trail, then feeds the sword’s purple smoke into a steady violet flame.
The cloth catches fire in his hand without consuming him. Each second releases a coil of magic into the morning air, carrying the scrap’s funerary mark outward like a deliberate summons.
Superstition sharpens his caution rather than stopping him. He questions the shifting symbols as though they were witnesses, confirms they answer the Lich Queen’s attention, and keeps the flame trained until the scrap becomes ash.
the Lich Queen
There you are, escaped one. Your little warning has become a beacon, and I will follow it to you.
The voice fades into the violet smoke, but the signal has reached its mark. Above the fields, Valtor’s wings turn toward the horizon as every patrol settles into position around the prepared farm.
Dagg's purple smoke becomes violet flame, and his sword can cast any spell.
Dagg Nabbitt's turn“{The sky turns dark, deep purple clouds cover the sky. Dagg can feel his power increase with this presence, knowing the undead will also have this boost.} Tarna, do not forget, when your shield and hammer glow, that means undead are near, they may come from below, so keep an eye out, also do not forget your shields command spell for your barrier, I want you to stay safe. I cant lose someone else to one of my enemies.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
The sky bruises into deep purple as immense clouds seal out the morning. Dagg feels his hidden power swell beneath that presence, and understands the undead will be strengthened as well.
Dagg Nabbitt
Tarna, remember that glowing shield and hammer mean undead are near. They may come from below, so watch the ground, and use your shield’s command spell if you need the barrier. I want you safe. I cannot lose someone else to one of my enemies.
Tarna’s reinforced hammer answers first, its golden runes blazing through the gloom. The shield follows with a steady radiance, confirming undead presence somewhere beneath or beyond the farm.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
I remember. If the dead rise below us, I will speak the command and let the golden barrier hold. I will not meet this danger carelessly.
Dagg reads the shifting cloud edges and the hammer’s pulses as hidden signs, separating the Queen’s gathering presence from any immediate breach. His superstition urges alarm, but his will stays steady around the peaceful purpose of protecting home and people.
Tarna Óhagganlegur
Stay beside the inner defense, Dagg. I will keep the workers and children behind the shield if the ground opens, and I will call the barrier before anything reaches them.
The reinforced shield’s rune answers her grip, ready to form its golden ward, while the hammer burns brighter. Around them, the farm holds its paired watches as the darkened sky gathers overhead.
Tarna's hammer glows gold and deals more damage to the nearby undead.