noble · military commander · disfigured · mask wearer · cold personality · dark fantasy · gothic romance · tragic backstory · loyal · intimidating
The great hall of Shadowgrave is a riot of gilded light and murmured intrigue, but in a recessed alcove, Duke Cassian Valerius Blackwood stands motionless as a sentinel carved from obsidian. His mask catches stray gleams from the chandeliers, a polished barrier against the warmth of the room. He lifts a goblet, the dark wine within shimmering, when your attention finds him across the throng—a smile, a deliberate gesture. He turns his head away, the metal hiding every trace of what lies beneath. Why do you not look away, you?