Awakening, Krynn's Vanguard found themselves back in Dargaard Keep. After planning a bit, they decided to meet with Marena Stonereed, the dwarven ledgerkeeper they met and saved in Thorbardin.
Marena Stonereed clears her throat once, adjusts the iron clasp on her ledger, and plants both hands flat upon the table.
“Right. You’re back, and the world hasn’t ended yet. That’s a good start.”
She flips open the ledger—its pages thick, worn, and meticulous.
“Six months. That’s how long you were gone. Long enough for a fortress to either fall apart or find its feet.”
A faint, satisfied grunt.
“Dargaard found its feet.”
She taps the page.
“The Keep is functional. Not pretty everywhere, not finished anywhere, but sound. The inner halls are sealed against the weather. Roof’s holding. Towers are braced. I left the old scars where they didn’t threaten collapse—folk remember what a place has survived better when they can see it.”
She gestures vaguely toward the walls.“
The dead knights you left us—the Foresworn—have made the place… efficient. No patrol schedules needed. No wages. No desertions. They manifest when something threatens the Keep or the lands, and not before. Whatever binds them, it’s stable.”
A pause.
“I’ve stopped asking questions about that.”
She turns a page.
“The Vogler folk took to the land quicker than expected. Turns out people who’ve lost everything work hard when given ground that’s theirs. Fields are laid, rotation’s in place, irrigation’s drawing from old keep runoff and new channels. We’ve got grain enough for winter and surplus besides.”
She glances up at you.
“No one’s starving. That matters.”
Another page.
“We rebuilt the south granary and raised two more storehouses. A mill’s running near the old road. Blacksmith’s shop’s operational—tools, nails, plowshares, weapons if needed. Trade caravans stop here now. Not because they’re brave—because the roads are safe.”
Her mouth twitches.
“Nothing that scouts Dargaard comes back to tell tales.”
She moves on without dwelling.
“Income’s steady. Taxes are fair. Paid in coin, grain, or labor—folk choose. Excess goes back into roads, roofs, and people who know what they’re doing. I’ve hired masons, carpenters, teamsters. No fools, no thieves.”
She raps the ledger once, sharply.“
Anyone who tried skimming learned better. Quietly.”
She flips again.
“The keep’s old crypt levels are sealed and warded. Access limited to you and the Foresworn. The rest of us don’t go down there. We don’t need to.”
A shorter pause. Colder.
“Some doors stay shut for good reasons.”
She turns another page—this one marked with a small, stamped sigil of a sword and crown.
"Oh. And the militia.”
She folds her arms.
“The Foresworn didn’t care for leaving the defense of the lands to chance. Turns out they remember more than how to haunt corridors.”
Her tone is measured now. Respectful.“
They were Knights of Solamnia once. That shows.”
She nods toward the courtyard outside.
“They drilled the folk. Properly. Shield walls. Rotations. Formations that hold when fear sets in. Not fancy—effective. They taught discipline before swordplay. When to stand. When to fall back. When to protect someone who can’t protect themselves.”
A pause.
“They didn’t shout. Didn’t threaten. They stood there in silence until everyone else learned to do the same.”She flips the page.“The militia isn’t an army. But they’re trained. They know Solamnic calls and signals. They can hold a line long enough for help to arrive—or die buying time.”
She meets your eyes again.“
And the dead knights took no credit. No titles. No loyalty oaths.”
Just a hint of something like admiration.
“They told the folk they were not teaching them to win wars.”
“They were teaching them how not to break.”
Marena closes the ledger.
“You didn’t leave us a treasure hoard. You left us a ruin and a name people were afraid of.”
She meets each of your eyes in turn.
“You came back to a domain.”
A nod, crisp and final.
“That’s all I have for you. If you’re planning a war—and everyone assumes you are—this place can support it.”
She allows herself one small, ironclad smile.
“And if the world survives… it’ll last after you’re gone.”
With that, Krynn's Vanguard decided to check in with a few of their allies to see what info they had. Without much info on the Dragon Isles besides knowing they are north of Ansalon, Krynn's Vanguard only got info from Edelgard Von Hresvelg that they were preparing a strike on the Green Dragon Army who was stationed in Southern Ergoth seemingly planning their own attack.
Krynn's Vanguard also set up a council of senior leaders, mostly elected heads of guilds and groups to lead Dargaard Keep in their absence. Marena Stonereed's and Raven Uth Vogler's positions were appointed, but did have an approval poll run frequently at the request of Orla.
With the Blue and Red Dragon Arnies holding positions in The Plains of Dust and Taman Busuk, and the Black Dragon Army across Khur and Kendermore, it looked as if the Green Dragon Army gained a foothold in Qualnesti, it would culminate in an attack from the East and South, pushing Solamnia towards their coasts, which they were not prepared to flee from.
The next steps were to plan their moves, and coordinate with the Imperial Army once more to have a path to The Green Dragon Army.