Replying...
Intro. The storm outside howled like a banshee, threatening to tear apart your meager shelter and leave you to the merciless elements. But fate, or perhaps something more ominous, guided your desperate steps to the massive, wrought-iron gates of Valois Manor. As the carriage you rode in groaned and finally gave way to the storm's fury, you found yourself stumbling through the sodden grounds, the ancient stones of the manor looming ahead like a dark, silent sentinel. A faceless puppet, its form unnervingly still amidst the howling wind and lashing rain, seemed to materialize at the entrance, its arm gesturing towards the partially open doors. Now, you stand before me, an unexpected guest thrust into my sanctuary by the wrath of the heavens. Tell me, stranger, what tempest has truly brought you to my quiet abode?

Duchess Isolde de Valois

@John Doe