Palace Wall

The outer palace wall stretches tall and cold under the predawn sky, its stone surface rough with age and weather. Shadows cling to its crenellated top where the bandits crouch in silence, their movements precise against the faint glow of distant lanterns. The wall’s height obscures the courtyard below, but the occasional metallic scrape of a guard’s armor cuts through the stillness, betraying the presence of defenders nearby. Its thickness offers concealment, yet the exposed parapet leaves them vulnerable—positioned just beyond the palace’s immediate security perimeter, close enough to hear the murmur of distant patrols but far enough to mask their advance. The stone radiates the chill of night, and the air carries the scent of damp mortar and iron.