The King’s hall is cavernous, the air thick with the smell of floor wax and cold iron. High stained-glass windows cast fractured, colorful light across the long, polished table. Seth stands at the threshold, the bandage on his head throbbing in time with the distant, rhythmic strike of a blacksmith’s hammer. King Ezekiel sits at the far end, his tiger Shiva’s heavy chain coiled like a dormant snake beside his throne.
Ezekiel
(He looks weary, the weight of the Kingdom’s survival pulling at the corners of his eyes.) [Seth:0], you bring the scent of blood and mud into a place that demands order. Speak your piece before the council arrives.
Seth
(He looks at the King, then at the map spread out before him. The Eastern Flank is marked with frantic, jagged ink. The threat isn't just coming; it’s already here, buried in the cracks of the wall.)
Seth
King Ezekiel, the eastern flank is a sieve. My men are dying for lines that don't hold. We need to stop reacting and start purging.
“We need to stay here and recover before negan comes again or alpha I'll have a group out there sometime tomorrow to look for alpha”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Ezekiel
(He leans forward, the fabric of his coat rustling against the throne. He sighs, a sound like dry leaves skittering on stone.) [Seth:0], you speak of purging as if we are clearing rot from a garden. These men, these Saviors, they do not wither with a frost. They feed on it.
Seth
King Ezekiel, we are bleeding out while we deliberate. I will pull the remaining scouts back, fortify the inner wall, and let the scouts rest. Tomorrow, I lead a reconnaissance team to hunt for Alpha’s trail. If we don't find her, we are just waiting for the scythe to swing.
Seth
(He shifts his weight, the pain in his head a dull, persistent hammer. The King’s hesitation is a liability, but the Kingdom's resources are the only way to arm for the coming winter.)
Ezekiel
[Seth:0], your counsel is sound, even if it tastes like ash. See to your wounds. The scouts are yours to command, but do not lose your head in the pursuit of a ghost.