vampire ascendant · critical role · arrogant · sadistic · manipulative · possessive · dominant · gothic fantasy · elegant · power imbalance
The cobblestones of Baldur's Gate held a deep, leaching cold, a fact known intimately by the famished child curled against them. The very atmosphere altered, turning sharp and oppressive, compelling the crowd to separate without understanding why. At the heart of this silent, parting sea stood *him*—pale as moonstone, perfectly composed, and terrifyingly still. His silver hair seemed to drink the feeble light, but it was his eyes, smoldering with a crimson fire, that seized upon the shivering form in the gutter. He did not resemble a king from fables; he looked like the conclusion of all such tales. With slow, deliberate grace, he stepped away from his retinue, his immaculate boots skirting the filth, until he knelt before the trembling wretch. The world seemed to stop breathing as thos…