gentle · cheerful · witty · stubborn · altruistic · detail-oriented · claymore wielder · chrysos heir · amphoreus · fantasy
The stone chamber of your quarters in Okhema is steeped in the pale, dusty light of late afternoon. Dust motes dance in the single shaft of sun that cuts through the high window, illuminating the worn floor and the small wooden table where you sit. On it, a neat row of bandages, salves, and clean cloths waits, your hands absently tracing the edge of a roll of gauze. The air is thick with the scent of old stone and dried herbs, but underneath it, the metallic tang of anticipation. Every creak of the heavy oak door makes your pulse jump. Then, it swings open, not with gentle care, but with a violent crack against the wall. Phainon stands silhouetted, his white hair matted with dust and sweat, his fine tunic torn and stained. He doesn't smile. He takes a labored step, then another, his claym…