Envoy Tarathel arrived in Ashenveil on the twenty-third day of Scorchend — nineteen days after his ship landed at Tidewatch, one day longer than Admiral Serath's estimate because the bridge at Greywater Crossing had been under repair and the escort had been forced to detour through the Northern Trade Road.
The city received him with the controlled spectacle of institutional hospitality. The escort route — from the Eastern Gate through the Commercial Quarter to the Royal Court — was lined with Crown Guards in ceremonial stonesteel. The Grand Cathedral's bells marked the hour of arrival. Citizens filled the balconies and rooftops along the route, drawn by curiosity and the Crown's deliberate decision to make the arrival public rather than private.
