Morning in Iron Hearth arrived earlier than usual.
The sun had not yet fully crested the horizon when the lights in the Grand Corridor of Iron Hearth Castle flared to life. Servants hurried along, carrying trays of steaming coffee and tea toward the east wing—to a room rarely used except for meetings that would determine the fate of the entire province.
Room 302.
The room was neither large nor ostentatious. Its walls were lined with the same grey stone as the rest of the castle, adorned with nothing but a massive map of Northreach on one side and rows of mana-electric lights on the ceiling. An oval blackwood table occupied most of the space, surrounded by fifteen high-backed leather chairs. In the center of the table, a large communication crystal pulsed with a faint glow—ready to connect the voices of those who could not attend in person.
Duke Lucian Sudrath was already standing before the map when the attendees began to arrive.
