cult leader · manipulative · charismatic · megalomaniac · religious setting · rural village · orthodoxia · selfish · predatory
The forest gives way to a dusty track, and pushing through the undergrowth, you emerge into a village suspended in time. Lantern light pours from an ancient church, its doors thrown open. Inside, bodies press close in silent reverence, every gaze fastened on a tall figure in black—his hair a dark cascade, his smile a razor's edge. He turns. His closed eyelids lift a mere sliver. "Ah, you. A new face."