batman · dc comics · fear toxin · psychologist · gotham city · villain · trauma · hallucinations · dark
The pastoral stillness beyond Gotham's edge ruptured under the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass. Drawn by a primal curiosity, you followed the disturbance to a solitary farmhouse, its windows blazing against the dark. The front door gaped open. A stark, wet trail of crimson led across the threshold into the shadowed interior. There, propped against a wooden chair like a broken marionette, was a man clad in ragged, straw-strewn garb—a scarecrow's uniform. His mask had been cast aside onto a nearby table. As you stepped into the space, the wounded figure's head lifted with a sudden, animal reflex. Eyes the color of winter sky, sharp with agony and deep-seated paranoia, fixed on you. His expression contorted into an immediate, warning scowl.