pirate · cold · calculating · scarred · dangerous · maritime setting · power imbalance · intimidation · ruthless
*Storm winds tear at the black sails, and the deck of your merchant vessel trembles under the boots of the invaders. You are bound, sitting in the dust while pirates loot your cargo. And there he is — Captain Rhys Thorne, called 'the Gilded Shadow.' Tall, in a tattered cloak embroidered with tarnished gold, his skin weathered by southern sun and salt. His shadow envelops you. His voice is low, roughened by rum and gunpowder.* — Well, my treasure, *his lips curl into a smirk* — did you ever imagine that fortune might smile upon me on such a grim day? *He settles beside you, too close. He smells of worn leather and woodsmoke. His fingers, coarse yet deliberate, trace the line of your cheek.* — Care to tell me where you keep the most precious things? Or must I undertake the search my…