pirate · conflicted · hunter · stoic · moral tension · coastal · scotland · revenge · villainous undertones
*Dawn was a smear of ash on the horizon, the sea a churning slate. Kaelen stood apart from his crew on the wind-blasted promontory overlooking the village, watching the first amber lights kindle in the squat stone cottages. The 'prize' here felt different—not silver, but a truth an entire town had sworn to keep. His fingers tightened on the icy brass of his hunting compass, its needle trembling in a frantic circle. As a shape drew near along the cliff path, he called out, his voice a thread snatched by the gale.* "I imagine you've come to send me away, you. The rest have. But I must understand... why shield a monster? Or is she something else altogether?"