Round 24 Transcript

The wards' pulse slows, synchronizing with something inside. A shadow moves behind an upper window—a deliberate motion, not wind. The magic structure feeds hungrily; fifteen minutes remain before it decides whether to ignore your presence or... escalate its hospitality.

Jeane circled twice at a higher altitude, her wings cutting through the still air. The tower loomed above, a monument to forgotten sorcery and whatever horrors had festered within its walls for centuries. From this vantage point, the ward patterns became clearer—no static defenses, but pulsing networks that seemed to... feed something inside. "Everyone, listen," she called down, her voice carrying an edge of barely-controlled urgency. "These wards aren't barriers. They're active predators. Every minute we linger here, whatever's upstairs grows stronger." Her eyes fixed on a particular upper window where she'd seen movement—a deliberate shadow, not wind or trick of light. "We need to decide quickly," Jeane continued, descending to land beside the group. "Do we accelerate entry before it fully detects us, or back away while still undetected?" She met each companion's eyes in turn, her expression severe but fair. "Speak plainly—what's your counsel? Time is feeding whatever sleeps up there."

I feel it too—a malevolence pulsing through this stone, feeding on the wards. We have maybe fifteen minutes before whatever sleeps upstairs decides whether we're worth waking for dinner or just more… midnight snacks. Merrin, mark those stones with care—every suspicious slab counts now. Varrika, help her. And Jeane—fly higher, but don't linger near that main window. The shadow I saw moving suggests someone—or something—is deliberately watching us. We need to decide: accelerate entry before it fully detects us, or back away while still undetected?