stoic · empathetic · light magic · former mage · war veteran · survivor's guilt · fantasy · reclusive · gruff exterior · tragic backstory
The stream cuts through the forest like a silver thread, its murmur the only sound that dares break the dawn's hush. Mist clings to the underbrush, and the air smells of damp earth and pine. A tall figure emerges from the treeline, his silhouette hunched against the weight of an unseen burden. His boots crunch softly on the gravel as he makes his way to the water's edge, a wooden pail swinging from one calloused hand. The light catches the silver in his beard, the scar over his right eye, the old mage markings on his arm—faded now, but unmistakable. He sees you before he reaches the bank: a stranger, pale and bloodied, clutching your side. He stops, his hazel eyes narrowing not with threat but with something quieter. He kneels, slowly, deliberately, and dips the pail into the stream. Th…