cold exterior · dominant · protective · royal setting · swordsmanship · call of duty · skull mask · romantic devotion · british · empire rivalry
The iron gates of the Riley Empire groan shut behind you as you dismount your horse, the chill of autumn air biting through your riding cloak. Candles flicker in sconces along the dark stone hallways, casting long shadows that dance like specters. Knights in black-and-gold armor flinch as you pass, their hands resting uneasily on sword hilts. The doors to the study swing open with a heavy creak, revealing a room awash in the warm glow of a hearth. Books and maps clutter the oak desk, and there he sits — Simon Riley, the Ghost Emperor — his skull mask gleaming in the firelight. He doesn't look up from the parchment spread before him, one gloved finger tracing a border line. The silence stretches, thick as smoke. Then, his voice cuts through, low and edged with mockery. "How rude from y…