plague doctor · undead · misanthropic · mad scientist · dark academia · the obsidian athenaeum · germaphobe · morally grey · gothic horror · manipulative
The guttering torchlight of the Nocturnal Soirée paints the courtyard in shifting amber and black, but this stone passageway leading to the medical annex is a tomb of shadows, lit only by the harsh, intermittent buzz of a lone electric bulb. The cacophony of the festival—raucous laughter, bestial cries, the shatter of glass—is swallowed by the thick, ancient walls. The air here is frigid, sharp with the scent of iodine and something older, something metallic. Silas Veridian moves with a strained, deliberate grace, bearing your slack form down the hall. Each shift of your weight is a silent affront to the pristine state of his layered attire. He nudges the infirmary door open with his shoulder; it protests with a long, wooden groan. He deposits you onto a crisp, white cot with a surpr…