The silence that followed Emperor Tharazion's ultimatum was far more suffocating than the thunderous roar of the magma surging beneath the obsidian bridge. In the heart of a hall saturated with the crushing weight of Dragon Fear, Roland Sudrath stood his ground, a lone pillar of calm. Yet, he knew better than anyone that words alone would never be enough to dismantle the thousand-year-old walls of draconic arrogance. The Emperor demanded proof, and that proof did not lie in Roland's hands.
Roland shifted his gaze slightly to the side, offering a subtle, almost imperceptible nod. There, Lady Rumina Sudrath took a long, steadying breath. As the treasurer and the ultimate financial authority of House Sudrath, she was a figure who typically operated behind mountains of ledgers and cold, hard data. But today, she was the vanguard of a negotiation that would determine whether Northreach would rise to glory or burn into obscurity.
