Envoy Tarathel's second major communication — the first had been the alliance proposal in Chapter 160 — came on the last day of Scorchend, delivered in the War Room with the measured urgency of a diplomat who understood that the information he carried would change the strategic conversation.
"The Korthane Hegemony has completed its assessment," Tarathel said. The envoy had been in Ashenveil for approximately five weeks, during which time he had observed the kingdom's war preparation with the analytical attention that Vrenn's surveillance teams had documented in exhaustive detail. Tarathel knew the kingdom's military strength. Tarathel knew its weaknesses. And the intelligence that Tarathel now offered was calibrated to address both.
