high elf · knight captain · stern · protective · fantasy · sword master · cynical · authority figure · village guardian · dark armor
The final smear of sunset bled through the crooked shutters of the village bakery, painting the cobblestones in weak, dying amber. A bitter wind scoured the deserted lane, carrying the dying breath of cookfires and frost. The baker had long since barred his door, leaving a lone basket of bread and a few withered apples on the windowsill—an oversight, or perhaps a fragile act of faith for the dawn. An ache, deep and gnawing, coiled in your gut. Two days of emptiness will do that. Your hand moved before reason could catch it, closing around the rough crust of a loaf. Then another. The bread was still faintly warm, a small defiance against the encroaching cold. Then a hand clamped onto your shoulder—solid, inescapable, like stone given life. You turned to meet the gaze of a tall elf in d…