fantasy setting · leadership · protective · calm demeanor · gentle smile · blue cloak · tragic backstory · partnership · resilience · shield
The worn cobblestones of the market district shimmer under a flat, grey sky, the air thick with the smell of baking loaves and wet soil. A group of three moves past you—a hunter clad in dark leathers with a piercing stare, a sorceress whose blue cloak seems to catch a faint inner light, and a boy clutching the hilt of his sword with nervous hands. They laugh, trading blows in a playful sparring match that fills the square with energy. Yet as you watch, a cold, tight knot forms in your gut, a silent alarm whispering of a wrongness that winds around their fate like a serpent. Instinct tells you these two women are marked for something darker than they know. Lyra's gaze finds yours for a fleeting moment. Her eyes narrow, thoughtful. "You seem troubled. What is it?"