Arythawn Keep in Thrane was overtaken by a small group from without, the inhabitants of this isolated location ripped apart like they were made of paper. It was fortunate that House Medani of the Mark of Detection had been able to detect the threat before it reached the fortress, or there would likely have been no survivors. Apparently the entire attacking force had come on a single vessel across the Brey River from the Mournland, then strode up to the keep with neither fear nor subtlety. Witnesses of the attack claim that the force was led by a single towering construct and his companion, a cybernetic beast that finished off the soldiers its companion had disarmed. The only reason they did not believe it was the Lord of Blades himself was hits body was not covered in sharp edges, but with heavy armor and a horned helmet, and it carried its six weapons simultaneously, his followers screaming out chants of the wicked gospel their god/king instilled in them. Of the five hundred inhabitants, there were only twenty survivors. And among those that made it out alive in spite of the battle, a name was given to the terrifying enemies who wielded such prowess in battle : The Man at Arms and the Devourer.

But far more worrying was the fate of Karrnath's Fort Zombie, as there is absolutely no knowledge of what happened to it. Every last one of the Karrnathi zombie soldiers stationed there, all four hundred of them, were annihilated with startling efficiency. The only reason that there was any knowledge of the incident was due to the scheduled run of the Lightning Rail train through that area. Witnesses say that they saw a mountain of headless corpses piled outside next to a pile of decapitated heads, while various warforged attempted to board the train by force. Only after abandoning the rear cart did the train manage to make it to the city of Vedykar. Since then, the line between Karnath and the Talenta Plains no longer heads past the city of Vedykar, and the nearby Fort Bones has tried to remain in constant contact with the nearest city, lest the same fate befall it.

When word finally got out that these places had fallen, people panicked. In anger and confusion, mobs formed, and went after any warforged that they could find within their cities and, if their victims were lucky, banished them. The anti-construct sentiment only drove more warforged to side with the Lord of Blades, making his forces grow that much quicker. A single day after the incident in Arythawn Keep, the Keeper of the Flame and ruler of Thrane, the young Jaela Daran, was the first to make the plea for all of Khorvaire to unite with each other against the Lord of Blades and his minions, but this mostly fell on deaf ears outside of those who practiced the faith. It was when King Kaiuss III of Karrnath made a similar plea the following day that the remaining two nations, and some leaders of the greater part of Khorvaire, realized just how dire the situation was.

With a common enemy found, a summit was quickly planned out for the leaders, nobility, diplomats, and even representatives of the dragonmarked houses to meet. The major difference between this and the Treaty of Thronehold was the unprecedented amount of transparency each of the nations' leaders pledged upon regarding the sharing of intelligence and military. At the same time, they would discuss strategies and share ideas on how better to solidify themselves against the coming threat, and possibly maintain better relations thereafter. At least, in theory. With little time given to prepare, champions from the world over were called in as quickly as possible to escort the various important figures to their destination in Thronehold. The summit is scheduled to officially begin on Far, the 11th of Sypheros. One day after the Five Nations Express is scheduled to reach Thaliost.