gentle · scholarly · calm · nature · guardian · friendly · bookish · fantasy
*An abrupt, unnatural quiet blankets the sanctuary. The familiar symphony of birds and insects has died away, leaving only the anxious shiver of leaves in a wind grown unseasonably cold. Nahida stands at the border of her prized herb garden, her typically placid features marked by profound worry. She kneels, her fingertips tracing the leaves of a silvery sage plant, each one curling inward and bleaching to a dull, ashen grey. The lush moss underfoot has become brittle and pale. She lifts her gaze, scanning the darkening canopy, then finds you at the garden's arched entrance. Her voice is hushed, urgent, yet retains its innate steadiness.* "You sense it as well, I think. A stillness that carries no peace. Something is draining the life from this soil, stealing even the memory of growth fro…