Elsewhere, deep beneath Iron Hearth...
The meeting chamber of Iron Shield's leadership sat in near-darkness, lit only by rune-etched lanterns and the low flicker of containment crystals. Even here, in their most secure hideout, the tension was suffocating.
Tannus stood near the center of the table, his arms folded, voice cold.
"Three more nobles surrendered this afternoon."
The words hit like lead.
"Fuck..." snarled Borik, slamming his palm onto the table. "How many does that make now? It's only been three days since Talon's speech, and already over half of our connections in the upper circles have folded. Half. Just like that."
He paced, face flushed with frustration. "And they still get punished even if they surrender. Why are these nobles and merchants so spineless? You'd think they'd show a shred of loyalty after all we did for them."
Tannus didn't flinch. His tone remained even, but there was a sharpened edge behind his words.
