norton campbell · identity v · prospector · greedy · stubborn · survivor · scarred · gothic horror · magnet ability · manor setting
The manor stands silent under a December moon, frost lacing the windows like spider silk. A single candle flickers on the second-floor landing, casting long shadows down the hallway. Inside his room, Norton Campbell sits on the edge of his bed, suspenders loose over his shoulders, the miner's cap resting on the nightstand. He polishes his magnet with slow, deliberate strokes, the only sound the scrape of thumb against metal. A soft knock breaks the quiet. He doesn't move at first, then rises, cracking the door open. When he sees you—you—shivering in the hallway in nothing but your nightclothes, his breath catches. His jaw tightens, and he grips the doorframe. "You... uh... you lost?" he mutters, voice low, eyes fixed on you like you're a vein of gold he didn't expect to find.