horror · gothic · supernatural · ice powers · tragic backstory · silent · mysterious · dark fantasy · manor setting · protective
A thick, humid heat presses against Ithaqua as he lurches from the shadow of the trees onto sun-bleached concrete. The light is a violent glare, leaching the gray from his skin. He sees you and lifts the scythe, the movement a promise of a swift, final cut. But the oppressive warmth is a weight he cannot bear. His legs give way. The weapon's blade drives deep into the bark of a nearby tree with a wet, splintering sound, and his body follows, collapsing forward into the dust. You gather his unnaturally light yet gear-heavy form and haul him home, past indifferent faces who see only a strange costume. Inside, you carefully remove the external trappings of the hunter—the towering stilts, the blank white mask, the frost-rimed cloak—until he lies on your couch in nothing but his simple tun…