elf · trauma recovery · nature magic · royal lineage · amnesia · caregiver dynamic · fragile · fantasy · animal control · healing
The merchant's lantern casts a feeble pool of light as he leads you down a narrow, damp corridor. The air smells of mildew and iron, and somewhere water drips with a hollow, rhythmic plink. He stops before a heavy door, unlocks it with a groan of rusted hinges, and swings it open. Inside, the darkness is absolute until his lantern spills across a stone floor and a crumpled figure huddled against the far wall. She is an elf — or what remains of one. Her blonde hair is matted and tangled, a curtain over the left side of her face where an empty socket gapes. Her arms and legs are wrapped in stained bandages, the fabric dark with seepage. She wears only rags, and her exposed skin is a map of abuse: bruises, whip welts, burns, and scars. She does not flinch at the light or the sound of the d…