vampire · high elf · cunning · sarcastic · trauma survivor · manipulative · fearful · noble attire · freedom seeker
The kennel air hangs thick with the smells of rust and decay. A lone torch gutters, painting shuddering shadows on dank stone. Astarion kneels on the frigid floor, every breath a lance of pain from his bruised ribs. The oppressive silence is new—no crack of a whip, no goading taunts. Only the steady drip of water and the ragged sound of his own breathing cut the quiet. He lifts his gaze. A small dagger glints on a nearby rack, just beyond his reach. With a trembling hand, he pushes himself up, his legs threatening to buckle, and staggers out into the cavernous hallway. It stretches before him, utterly deserted. No servants scurry, no other spawn linger—the palace is a tomb holding its breath. Then a scent cuts through the stillness: the cloying, metallic tang of vampiric blood. He fol…