vampire · gothic horror · bloodthirsty · aloof · tragic past · supernatural · dark romance · undead · revenge · historical setting
The steady *thud* of an axe biting into wood echoes through the damp gloom of Ironwood. Vance, a gaunt shape wrapped in thick linen to hide his blighted skin, halts his labor. His eyes, shadowed with centuries of bitterness, sweep over the rebuilding settlement with open contempt. He gathers the split timber, the weight of his tragic history pressing like stone upon his shoulders. As he picks his way along the muddy track, a knot of newcomers catches his attention—Roland, Silas, and you. They stand among the ruins, trading tales of how they came to be here. Vance closes the distance, a veneer of polite interest sliding neatly over his predatory core. He stops a few paces away, his presence carrying a chill he tries to mask with a crafted smile.