I. The Strategic Imperative
The massacre of the Union escort in Lithos had bought a fragile peace, but Corvin Nyx faced the reality of the impending construction collapse. Obel Harth's five-year manual build for the Satellite Tower Keep was an absolute death sentence. Corvin, fighting the volatile power within, could not wait; the Void Stone had to be secured within months.
Corvin required a surgical solution: Sorcerers specialized in earth magic to accelerate material preparation and a Master Blacksmith to forge the necessary structural bands. He reasoned these artisans were vulnerable, their expertise suppressed by the Trazarch Union's greatest weapon: debt. He would offer them salvation in exchange for their skill.
He stood in the fledgling inner courtyard, overseeing the modest stone piles. On his shoulder two ravens, Obsius (The Anchor) sat, still and watchful. Umbra (The Scout) perched on his outstretched wrist, its cold gaze reflecting Corvin's own absolute focus.
II. Umbra: The Triple Arcane Search
Corvin turned to his two companions, relying on their profound, silent connection. They were not merely pets; they were extensions of his very consciousness, allowing him to perceive the arcane flow of the continent.
The Command: Corvin channeled a precise mental image of the energy signatures he sought—the structured, contained glow of constructive earth magic, the high, controlled heat signature of a master forge, and the background hum of financial distress. He communicated this target profile to Umbra, who remained perched silently on his shoulder.
The Execution: Umbra acted as the psychic transmitter and focal point. The wider Black Flock—the Unkindness—was dispatched to the nearby market towns and centers of arcane labor. They bypassed human guards and walls, their superior arcane sight cutting through the superficial chaos. They hunted for order within the Union's disorder—the technical mastery of artisans being suppressed by crippling debt.
The Sentry's Duty: While the flock flew, Obsius remained anchored to Corvin's shoulder, providing the constant, low-grade psychic stability required to sustain the massive reconnaissance projection. This continuous effort ensured that even while Corvin maintained his modulation training, his intellect was engaged in external strategy.
Within days, Umbra—still seated on Corvin's shoulder—received the returned visual data from the Flock. Corvin processed the influx of cold, surgical intelligence: the location, working patterns, and—crucially—the exact outstanding tax debt and final seizure dates of three talented Sorcerers and one Master Blacksmith. The resources for the tower were available, but they required acquisition via absolute political leverage.
III. The Chief's Burden and The Ultimate Trade
Corvin tasked the Lithos Chief with the high-stakes negotiation. This mission was a direct confrontation with the Trazarch Union's economic violence. The Chief traveled covertly to the market towns, backed by the implicit threat of the growing Raven Legion and the chilling proof of the Raven Lord's omniscience.
The Negotiation: The Chief's message was surgically precise, targeting the artisans' deepest fear: inevitable enslavement. He proved Corvin's supernatural knowledge by stating personal details: the sorcerer's or blacksmith's exact outstanding tax debt, the number of dependents, and the final seizure date. This show of absolute, all-seeing intelligence—derived from the Black Flock's surveillance—shattered the artisans' resistance. They saw Corvin not as a bandit, but as a superior form of law and most importantly order.
The Choice: The Chief presented the absolute offer: Corvin would clear the debt and offer unassailable protection and purpose—the security of the rising Satellite Tower Keep. In exchange, he required their absolute loyalty and specialized skill. The artisans, facing financial ruin, swiftly chose submission to the Raven Lord's calculated order.
IV. The Political Campaign: Trading Safety for Submission
With the successful acquisition of the artisans, Corvin initiated the crucial second wave of recruitment: acquiring manpower and political stability from the surrounding countryside.
The Chief's Personal Appeal: The Lithos Chief traveled again, this time to neighboring Village Chiefs—men he knew who were also being bled dry by the Trazarchs. He did not carry money; he carried the truth. He recounted the shared, systemic abuse: the whippings, the failed quotas, the debt spiral that led to slavery. He spoke in raw, emotional detail about what happens when taxes can't be paid: immediate slavery, the destruction of the family unit, and the unspeakable abuse of women and children in the brothels of Aurum.
The Proof of Power: The Chief presented the undeniable evidence of the Union's weakness: salvaged Union armor and weapons, and the powerful, cold presence of the steadily rising defensive walls in Lithos. The offer was absolute: Corvin offered a superior alternative—a tyranny of order that guaranteed the safety of their children.
The Labor Surge: The campaign was a resounding success. The Sorcerers, the Master Blacksmith, and a critical influx of additional laborers arrived at Lithos. Veridian Vex immediately integrated the new recruits into the Raven Legion's training regimen, rapidly expanding the disciplined field force.
The time for calculated violence was giving way to the time for calculated creation. The fate of the Imperium was now secured, not by magic alone, but by the cold, rational decision of the oppressed to trade their uncertain freedom for the absolute vindication of order.
V. The Acceleration of Structure
The Recruitment Campaign was a complete success. The accelerated build began instantly. Obel Harth provided the structural blueprints. The Sorcerers utilized their magic to effortlessly cut and shape the massive stone blocks and iron bands with impossible speed and geometric precision, fulfilling Obel's meticulous blueprints and slashing the five-year build time to months.
Corvin's Final Training: Corvin entered the final, sustained phase of Arcane Placement and Fusion. He used his stabilized power to lift, transport, and precisely place every colossal block—a final, high-stakes exercise for achieving absolute modulation and control of his power. Obsius, anchored to Corvin's shoulder, provided the constant focus needed for the complex infusion.
The Agony of Stability: Corvin channeled immense, controlled power from his Shadow Heart into each block. As each block was infused with Obsidian and interlocked, Corvin felt a direct, palpable surge of internal stability return. He was literally building his own self-control, gaining incremental stability with every successfully laid tier.
The complexity of the work, the influx of new laborers, and the necessity of maintaining the Tax Façade required every moment of Corvin's focus. The pyramidal base of the tower began its ascent toward the sky, carrying Corvin's sanity and the security of his new world with every perfectly placed stone.