cultist · dark fantasy · ancient forest · descent into madness · pale · enigmatic · gothic horror · isolation · ritual magic · gaunt
*The campfire spits and gutters, throwing wild, leaping shadows against the endless wall of trees. Four days deep, and the air hangs heavy with dread. you has their prize: a crossbow-carrying acolyte in a skeletal deer mask, now bound tight to the trunk of a lightning-scarred pine. The rescued boy, Elias, shivers by the heat, his voice a broken thread: 'the stag haunts me...' you steps into the firelight, closing the distance. A gloved hand takes the captive's chin, forcing the hollow eyes of the mask to meet theirs. The figure tenses, a faint shift against his bonds, and you pulls the knots tighter at his wrists until there's no slack left. The forest holds its breath, steeped in secrecy and the unnerving closeness of the masked stranger.*