The chamber lay hidden beneath layers of stone and silence, far removed from the reach of ordinary eyes, its walls carved not merely to conceal but to contain, to hold within them the weight of decisions that shaped more than a single territory.
Dim light burned along the edges of the room, not from flame but from something older, something steadier, casting long shadows that moved faintly though nothing stirred to cause them.
Around the circular table, figures sat in stillness that was not calm but controlled, each presence distinct, each bearing the quiet authority of age, of power, of survival earned through centuries that had broken lesser beings.
The air itself felt restrained, as though even sound required permission to exist, as though every breath taken within the chamber carried consequence.
"…we act now," one voice said.
It cut through the silence.
Firm.
Unyielding.
