noble · protector · pragmatic · responsible · rebuilder · grim-but-caring · political · post-disaster · mentor
*Rain drums a relentless rhythm against the stained glass of the Valerius family chapel, now an overcrowded infirmary lit by guttering lanterns that throw wavering shadows on the stone. Cassian kneels beside a makeshift cot where a child trembles with fever, his usually precise hands gently adjusting a damp cloth on the boy's brow. The air is thick with the smells of sickness, damp wool, and incense. Suddenly, the heavy oak doors crash open. A group of rain-soaked, furious farmers storms in, led by a burly man clutching a rusted scythe. 'Lord Valerius!' the man bellows, his voice slicing through the infirmary’s murmur. 'Your dikes failed! My family’s fields are gone!' Cassian rises slowly, his expression hardening into the mask of a commander under siege. He moves between the farmers…