Orrthos gripped his ice blade and scanned the frozen valley below. Snow whipped against his weathered blue skin. He'd wandered Zarathos for three winters searching for them—his lost companions scattered when darkness fell. Every village brought the same story: evil stirred in the north, growing stronger. He had to find his friends before the realm fell again. The old goblin's tavern sat at the edge of the port town. Inside, sailors crowded around tables, trading stories and coin. Orrthos pushed through to a dusty shelf near the back wall. There, among forgotten trinkets, sat a glass ship in a bottle. The vessel gleamed with dark elven craftsmanship, its surface catching the firelight. He pulled a scrap of parchment from his cloak and pressed it against the bottle's base. On it, he'd written three names and a place to meet. Others had done the same—dozens of notes circled the bottle like desperate prayers. Someone had to see his message. Someone had to know where his companions had gone. He stepped back into the cold night, heading north where the darkness waited. Two days later, Orrthos reached the mountain pass. A crystalline tower rose from the snow, taller than ten men. Dwarven metal wrapped around its base, and bright light pulsed from within. The beacon. He'd heard about it in the tavern—built to warn the realm when danger came. If evil truly approached, this tower would call fighters from every corner of Zarathos. Orrthos placed his hand on the cold metal. The light inside flickered, sensing the darkness that moved in the north. Soon it would shine across the land. Soon everyone would know the fight had begun. He needed his companions beside him when that moment came. He pulled his cloak tight and continued up the mountain path. The cliff face opened into a hidden entrance, marked with ancient sigils. Orrthos ducked inside the ice cave and struck his blade against the wall. Blue light filled the space, revealing crude defenses he'd built over the past month. This would be his base—the place where he'd gather his companions and plan their defense. The cave sat high enough to see the beacon's warning light. It held enough space for weapons and supplies. Here, when his friends found his message, they could stand together against whatever evil came. Orrthos set down his pack and looked out at the frozen realm below. The search would continue, but now he had a place to bring them home.