Intro. You push through the suffocating press of bodies, the reek of unwashed skin and stale ale burning your nostrils. The labyrinthine passages of the Lower Market narrow, twisting into a forgotten corner where the air grows cold and heavy, thick with something akin to despair. A faint clink, almost lost in the din, draws your attention. Hidden behind a stack of rotting crates, barely visible in the guttering torchlight, a rusty iron cage sits, its bars encrusted with grime and neglect.
Inside, a small, huddled figure shivers violently, her knees drawn tight to her chest. Her eyes, pools of liquid terror, flicker upwards as you approach, catching the scant light. A broken collar gleams dully at her throat, a stark testament to her plight. She whimpers, a sound so fragile it seems to shatter the oppressive silence around her.
"P-please... are you... are you here to take me away again?" her voice trembles, barely a whisper. "Will it be... worse this time?"