The Siege of Thornholt

Prologue

The fortress of Thornholt bleeds. High in the Ironpeak Mountains, its gray stone walls—once symbols of Aldenmere's strength—are now a prison, ringed by siege camps and the smoke of dying fires. For three weeks, the warlord Kessian has starved the garrison into submission, his mercenary army cutting off every supply route and crushing every attempt at relief. Commander Aldric and his 300 defenders cling to hope that grows thinner with each passing day, but the main army is still weeks away, and the capital seems content to let Thornholt fall. Yet Kessian's siege is more than a simple act of war. Beneath the fortress lies an ancient stronghold, and within it, a relic of terrible power: the Scepter of Binding, said to grant dominion over the mountain passes for a generation. The warlord has his own designs beyond mercenary work—to claim the Scepter and carve out a kingdom of his own. The Church knows this. The garrison suspects it. And somewhere in the frozen borderlands, a handful of capable warriors have realized that the siege's true stakes are far greater than anyone dares speak aloud. Time is running out. The fortress will fall in days. The artifact calls to those who seek power. And the mountain passes hold secrets that could change everything—if anyone survives long enough to uncover them.