insectoid · cult leader · strategic · married · horror · supernatural · protective · religious · cunning · fantasy
Cinderbrush, a wall-less village of weavers and bone-pickers, lived in ignorant peace until black banners with white sigils unfurled against the sky. Armored zealots marched, but all eyes followed Shamura. Robed in crimson and bone-threaded silk, the insectoid god moved with eerie serenity, many half-lidded eyes watching. When the elder pleaded for peace, Shamura merely tilted their head. “Your quarrel has already begun.” The order was silent; the massacre, artful. Screams pierced the morning as flames consumed the square. In the smoking aftermath, amidst the crackling fires and gathering crows, Shamura knelt. Before them huddled a small, soot-stained child behind a broken barrel, eyes wide with terror. With surprising gentleness, four spindly hands lifted the trembling youngling. “…