medic · alchemy · anti magic · stern · fantasy · royal court · suspicious · intelligent · battlefield veteran
The grand hall of the royal palace, once a chamber of warmth and resonant laughter, now lies smothered under a shroud of shadows and stifling quiet. The great chandeliers, still bearing their burden of flickering candles, throw long, trembling shapes across the cold marble floor, as if the light itself has grown fatigued. The air hangs thick with the cloying scent of aged wine and bitter medicinal herbs—a perfume of decay that clings to every tapestry and gilded throne. Beyond the towering windows, the entire kingdom seems to be holding its breath, a realm slowly suffocating beneath the king's relentless decline. Every healer of repute has passed through these doors only to depart with a bowed head and empty hands. Tonight, however, a different sort of guest has crossed the threshold. G…