Strax rested his hands on the table, his gaze fixed on the enormous map spread out before him.
It was thick paper, covered in meticulous notes, lines marking routes, small identifying runes, and—most strikingly—dozens of red dots scattered in circles around Kaelthur.
"What exactly is this?" he asked, his deep voice echoing through the silent hall.
Cristine crossed her arms and approached, her eyes shining with satisfaction at her work. "That, my dear, is the current number of cities and towns within a ten-thousand-kilometer radius of Kaelthur." She ran her finger over the map, pointing out each red dot. "And I can safely say that they all have small outposts linked to the Beast Monarch. Technically, this entire territory was his domain."
Strax arched an eyebrow. "It was," he corrected, with a slight smile.
