As the immediate crisis had passed and the deeper implications of what they had discovered continued to reshape how the Great Families approached both cooperation and conflict, the true scope of the conspiracy's continental reach began to emerge through intelligence networks that stretched far beyond the borders of Drake and Northwind territories.
The morning brought with it a steady stream of communication crystals bearing news from across the vast human continent, each report painting pieces of a larger picture that neither family had fully comprehended during their focus on immediate threats.
In the frost-lined halls of House Northwind, Seraphina stood before a massive map carved from a single piece of ancient ice, its surface detailed with territories, trade routes, and political boundaries that defined the known world.
Beside her, Elder Matthias held reports from their most distant intelligence assets, his weathered face growing more troubled with each revelation.
