Just as dawn broke, and the heavy star-iron doors of Onyx Hall groaned loudly as they were pushed open from the outside. The workers inside the cavernous forge paused their hammering.
THUD. CRASH.
A massive, scaled wasteland beast stalked into the entry hall. It was a predatory mount, all muscle and thick hide. Sitting atop it was a towering female Troglodyte.
She carried thick battle scars across her gray skin and rested a massive, jagged axe-hammer on her shoulder. Behind her, a hundred more female Troglodyte warriors rode in on identical beasts. They were an expeditionary hunting party finally returning home.
The leader dismounted, her heavy boots cracking against the stone floor. Her energetic, wild eyes swept across Onyx Hall. The forges were burning hot, but the population was wrong. There were far fewer Troglodytes here than when she had left. She assumed the main horde was out on a massive raid.
She had absolutely no idea they were dead.
