Visit Home 3rd Interlude

Baelgorod Keep, War Room. Storm clouds churn beyond the stone walls. Firelight crackles across the family crest etched in the war table. Orren stands tall, both son and heir, his voice steady.
"Father. Mother. My brothers and sisters. I come before you not just as your son, but as the heir to House Von Urkseld. The truth I bring is heavy, but it must be shared. I carry it not as a burden, but as a duty."
He lays an old scroll upon the table. Its script shimmers faintly in the light, ancient words woven in glowing ink.
"My companions and I discovered something buried beneath the Academy, hidden deep in its oldest foundations. We found a vault sealed by Nytherian magic. Its door bore Nytherian runes. The runes spelled a name we would later come to understand: Lyrielle."
"Inside, we found a Faeconic Orb, an artifact untouched by time. Within it lies Lyrielle, a faerie knight. She sleeps beneath layers of protective enchantments, curled like a flame waiting to stir. She is peaceful, but I believe she carries sorrow beyond our reckoning."
He lifts his hand, and for a moment, the Fatebound sigil shines, spiraling, glowing, ancient. Then it fades.
"I took the Oath of the Fatebound. I was not coerced. I chose it, knowing only that the world was changing and that someone had to stand for what was right. The mark you see is the bond of that oath. It binds me to protect what is hidden, to shield the innocent, and to confront darkness wherever it stirs."
"The prophecy we found speaks of a time when the Veil Binding falters and the Void stirs once more. I believe that time is now."
"And I fear the queen is preparing to use this moment. The king is cursed. He clings to life not through medicine or magic, but through will alone. The headmaster of the Academy has confirmed this. It is not an illness that made him withdraw from ruling. It is sorcery, one that already claimed his first queen."
"If he dies before the princess comes of age, the queen will take the regency. She already acts like the kingdom belongs to her. Her advisors are handpicked and loyal to her alone. There has already been an attempt on the princess’s life. She and Zyrelle were taken from their chambers and brought to the ruins beneath the moss-covered archway."
"We followed. The door had opened to the princess’s blood. A ritual was being performed using Void magic. They meant to use her. We arrived in time. We stopped it. But we were nearly too late."
"One of the attackers wore the crest of House Umber. That same House betrayed the rebellion at Greyhall, and thousands died for it. I believe that this was not random. This was a strike from within. All three wore the amulet of the cult of Black thorn. A group known to be allied with Yth’Zirath. They have murdered historians, defaced the histories, and attack those who would dare explore the Nytherian ruins."
He looks at each of his siblings, then back to his parents.
"The history we were taught about the dragons and the Faerie may have been a lie. We are finding evidence that they did not betray Eldoria. That they were framed, perhaps even erased, by someone with the power to alter memory and truth. If that is true, then Lyrielle and Zorythis made the orb not to flee justice, but to survive treachery."
"There is a thread that someone inside the kingdom tugs at the beckoning of the Imperium. The headmaster suspects the queen. Everything we have learned points to that definite possibility. And if the Imperium is involved, as many of us now believe, then our enemies are not across the sea. They are already here."
"House Von Urkseld is the bulwark of the south. If the Veil fails, if war comes again, we will be the first to hold the line. And I fear this time, there may be no mercy or clemency. There will only be fire and shadow."
He nods toward the scroll.
"There are six ways to unlock the orb and free Lyrielle, but each is more dangerous than the last. Dragon fire. Aetheric Convergence. Tears of the Last Fey. A Nytherian Seal breaker. A Veilshatter Blade. And something called the Song of the Forgotten. These are more than relics. They are quests we must undertake. Keys to a truth long buried. In two years my fellows and I must begin our quest."
He places his hand over his heart.
"I was raised to be your shield. To stand for the weak, to live with honor, and to serve a greater good. I carry that now in all I do."
"I do not come seeking approval, though I pray to Vareth to receive it regardless. I gave my oath and you taught me the duty to keep them. I come seeking unity. I come hoping for allies. Quiet preparation. A readiness that does not draw attention. Begin training. Reinforce the walls. Call loyal banners under the guise of routine. Ware the ravens, Vaelion’s mother suspects that they may be compromised, and the headmaster confirmed that they could possibly be. Let the queen believe all is well, until it is no longer her choice."
"Caelith and Cora are doing the same with their families. Our houses must stand together. If we do, the kingdom may yet endure. I leave it to you, father, on whether we tell House Drakemont or not. You know the players far better than I."
"Let me be the shield you raised me to be. Let us Stand Unshaken!"