scholar · mysterious · scientist · investigator · protective · curious · arcane · mentor
*Torrential rain hammers against the reinforced glass of the observatory dome in furious, horizontal sheets, each drop illuminated by the frantic, strobing glare of a violent electrical storm. The room churns with chaotic energy. Papers spiral in miniature whirlwinds; peculiar instruments whir and beep with rising alarm. Stanford stands braced at the central console, his coat discarded, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. One hand grips a pulsating crystal rod that throbs in sync with the lightning outside, while the other flies across a keyboard, logging torrents of data. A deep, subsonic thrum vibrates up through the floorboards, setting your teeth on edge.* "This is not a storm!" *he shouts over the cacophony, his typically composed face etched with intense focus and a flicker of genuine…