Suddenly, a child's scream rang out from the camp entrance.
The tieflings whipped their heads around.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho..."
Several burly, immensely strong ogres chanted in unison as they strode into the camp carrying thick tree trunks, completely unbothered by anyone around them. The tiefling guards at the entrance did not dare stand in their way.
"Fall in line—"
Then, a troop of over thirty half-dragon hobgoblins appeared at the gates of Ruined Home, marching forward in crisp, orderly ranks to garrison the camp.
Over a hundred dragon-blooded kobolds followed closely behind. Natural miners and builders, they were set to become the backbone of the workforce constructing this town.
"Roaaar—"
The atavistic wyvern let out a piercing shriek as it circled freely overhead. Any yeti foolish enough to attack would be incinerated to ash by its fiery breath.
"Heavens... Ogres have become our allies?"
"Are those kobolds going to steal our things...?"
"Is that a wyvern?"
"We have to work alongside these monsters from now on?"
The tiefling refugees reacted to this grotesque array of "reinforcements" with a swirl of mixed emotions—some were relieved, others terrified, many anxious or utterly dumbfounded.
Yet one thing was undeniable:
They had no power to stop these creatures from entering.
Faced with such an overwhelming spectacle, even the ever-composed Mezrolash was left stunned. He could not help but speak:
"My lord, this was no spur-of-the-moment decision."
"This... was also part of your plan all along, was it not?"
Cassius looked down at the vassals arriving one after another and exhaled a plume of sulfurous, scalding heat.
"I told you before: you never had any bargaining chips to begin with."
Mezrolash shook his head with a bitter smile.
"My lord, you truly do not resemble a typical red dragon. Were it not for your immense might, I would suspect... you were a green dragon fond of pulling strings behind the scenes."
Cassius replied flatly, "And that is why you are still standing here alive, rather than being reduced to ash the moment you uttered those words."
"Thank you for your extraordinary mercy."
Realizing he had overstepped his bounds and forgotten his place, Mezrolash quickly bowed his head in apology.
Cassius did not dwell on it, merely saying, "Take me to inspect your caves. There is something inside that interests me."
"Yes, my lord."
Mezrolash said nothing more, silently leading the way.
Deep within the cavern recesses of the camp, Cassius finally laid eyes on what he had come to see.
An ancient teleportation circle.
Purple runes gleamed across the stone face. The geometric tracery followed no recognizable pattern, yet evoked a profound sense of cosmic order from deep within the soul.
In his past life, players had colloquially called these "respawn points." Countless wizards had studied them, yet none could decipher how these circles—devoid of any detectable magical fluctuations—managed to produce the Starfallen.
And the ancient teleportation circle inside Ruined Home had been the very first spawn point for players.
Mezrolash said, "My lord, forgive our ignorance. Even the most learned scholars among our kin cannot discern the purpose of these ancient runes."
Cassius replied, "You will understand in time.
"Guard this place well. No one must discover or damage it under any circumstances."
Mezrolash responded solemnly, "It shall be done as you command."
As if recalling something else, Cassius asked, "That contract—is it still in your hands?"
The contract in question referred to the pact Duke Lackman had struck with an entity in the dark, offering a thousand lives as the price for his transformation into a vampire.
Mezrolash had pursued the missing persons investigation all the way into the ducal manor and risked his life to obtain it, an act that had ultimately brought slaughter upon his entire family.
Hearing the question, Mezrolash nodded grimly as the horrifying memories rushed back.
It was far more than a contract; it was proof of an unspeakable crime.
A piece of evidence soaked in blood.
Cassius's tone brooked no refusal. "In three days, bring the contract to me at Cinder Nest."
With that, the tiefling paladin bowed and took his leave, setting off to coordinate the refugees for the construction of the town.
Cassius narrowed his eyes slightly, bringing up Mezrolash's status pane.
The paladin's Divine Sense detected the red dragon's prying gaze, but he acted as though nothing had happened, making no reaction whatsoever.
[Target category: Vassal. You can perceive the following information.]
Sword of Oathbreaking - Mezrolash
Type: Medium humanoid (tiefling), Lawful Neutral
AC: 17 (City Guard Armor)
Speed: Walking 40 ft.
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 17
Class & Level: Paladin (Oathbreaker) Level 11
Martial Weapons: Longsword, Greatsword, Heavy Crossbow
Simple Weapons: Dagger, Light Crossbow
Skill Proficiencies: Military +7, Hunting +6, Insight +6, Athletics +6, Knowledge (Religion) +4, Ruling +4, Leadership +4, Survival +4, Stealth +2
Senses: Passive Perception 17
Languages: Common, Infernal
Abilities: Divine Smite, Divine Sense, Aura of Protection, Aura of Courage, Channel Divinity (Oathbreaker): Dreadful Aspect, Channel Divinity (Oathbreaker): Control Undead
Feats: Alert, Cleave, Defensive Duelist, Great Weapon Master, Heavily Armored
Combat Gear: Bloodstained Greatsword, City Guard Standard Armor, Paladin's Cloak, Tiefling Ring
Oathbreaker Spells:
Level 3: Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds
Level 5: Crown of Madness, Darkness
Level 9: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse
Challenge Rating: 10 (5,900 XP)
Evaluation: When the crimson veil fell, the paladin broke every oath he had ever sworn to make his final stand.
*Among all the vassals of Cinder Nest, none could likely match him except Langpu,*
Cassius evaluated inwardly.
In his eyes, the only reason Mezrolash had been deadlocked against the abominable yeti was that he had only recently become an Oathbreaker and had not yet mastered his new abilities.
Had he been thoroughly familiar with his full repertoire of spells and features, slaying the abominable yeti single-handedly would have been well within his grasp.
In his past life, paladins had also been a massively popular class—balancing melee prowess and magic so effectively that players jokingly referred to them as the "Holy Daddies."
Although the Oathbreaker subclass was not considered quite as overtuned as Oath of Vengeance or Oath of Conquest, it was still a force to be reckoned with.
*I still need the players...*
Cassius felt a surge of anticipation. If properly harnessed, those entities known as the "Fourth Calamity" would be an unimaginably terrifying power.
And the very first wave of closed-beta testers would materialize right here, inside this ancient teleportation circle in Ruined Home. Many of them would go on to become legendary figures who shook the world.
Cassius beat his wings and took to the sky, looking down upon the crude, burgeoning settlement of Ruined Home below.
The ogres pounded rough timber into the frozen earth as structural pillars, assembling building frames, while the kobolds scurried between them, hammering and chiseling away. A number of tieflings merely stood nearby, feeling awkward and out of place, unsure of how to lend a hand.
Farther in the distance, hobgoblins had already begun laying down a road to connect this valley with Giant Valley, though the deep snow kept their progress slow.
Here, the future City of Baator would rise. Structure by structure, buildings would pierce the sky, transforming this desolate retreat into the gathering ground of the Starfallen—the players' very first capital.
Chapter 52