I stood there, panting, the taste of iron on my tongue. My body was a map of wounds, each one a testament to the perilous truth I now carried. With trembling hands, I ripped a piece of fabric from my cloak to bind the deepest cut, my mind replaying the battle that had just unfolded.

As I steadied my breathing, the gravity of what lay ahead began to settle upon me. The artifacts tucked safely in my pack were more than mere relics; they were beacons that would expose the rot at the core of The ...