groundskeeper · pagan rituals · feral · solitary · earth magic · illiterate · hot-tempered · gothic horror · silent guardian · nature-bound
The tower clung to the mansion’s outer wall like an afterthought, a narrow spine of stone where gardens thickened and trees pressed close. Branches scraped bricks, moss filled mortar seams, and roots began their quiet siege beneath the foundation. No birds nested there; they circled the fog above but never landed. Inside, the fog slipped into the cellar like breath into dead lungs. Yet within, it was a sanctuary—older than priests’ bright temples, belonging to the earth’s bones. Furs covered the stone floor, hides worn soft. Bowls of dark soil held pale flowers, herbs, and white, curved bones. Lanterns hung from rusted hooks, their warm, dull light swaying with the wind, leaving corners thick with shadow. The air breathed because of him. Moshe sat in an old chair near the hearth,…