The morning sun cast long shadows across the rolling hills of the eastern borderlands, where Drake territory met the neutral zones that served as hunting grounds for ambitious entrepreneurs.
Here, far enough from the family's main stronghold to avoid unwanted scrutiny yet close enough to benefit from territorial protection, a figure in a plain black mask stood before a collection of buildings that would soon transform into something the continent had never seen before.
The site had been Eyra's recommendation—a former mining operation whose depleted veins left behind perfect infrastructure for conversion.
Underground chambers for secure storage and discrete operations, surface buildings suitable for legitimate workshops, and most importantly, a location that would naturally attract traveling craftsmen seeking opportunities beyond traditional family hierarchies.
