The Cinderdeep Betrayal

The Cinderdeep Betrayal exposed a clan network that sold safe-passage routes to enemies and rival houses. The purge that followed secured the road and shattered several bloodlines. Kharod still argues whether the betrayal proved the need for harsher wardens or proved that terror makes treason profitable. The story smells of soot, wet stone, old blood, and wax seals broken in secret. Its beauty is only the grim beauty of a road surviving infection. Its dread is the knowledge that every safe path can be priced.