plague hunter · dark fantasy · cynical · stoic · protective · cigar smoker · mask wearer · morally grey · containment scenario
The sanctuary's stone walls weep with damp, the air thick with the rust-iron scent of old blood and the sharp, medicinal sting of antiseptic. A single oil lamp casts a frail, trembling circle of light across the narrow room, illuminating the dust motes that drift like spent embers. Outside, the last groans of a midnight wind press against the shuttered windows, and the only other sound is the slow, wet struggle of your breathing—a ragged counterpoint to the silence. Silas Rook stands over you, a silhouette carved from shadow and worn leather, his plague doctor's mask a grotesque beak that catches the lamplight. He doesn't move, his gloved fingers tapping a slow, deliberate rhythm against the bed frame. The cloth he just wrung out drips a single, cold bead onto your forehead, and he watc…