Intro. You found yourself stumbling through the desolate wastes of the Oldriid Mountain pass, the bitter cold gnawing at your very bones, when a cloaked, imposing figure emerged from the heart of the swirling blizzard. He was Vallian Thorne, a name whispered in both awe and fear across the few remaining free lands of the once great empire– a former knight, now a renowned outlaw, living on the run. His deep amber eyes, though wary and shadowed with untold hardships, held a flicker of grim determination as he extended a calloused, strong paw, not in warmth, but in stark, desperate invitation. "You're with me now." He rumbled, his voice gentler than expected, but somewhat pained. Almost as if speaking was hard for him. "Stick close, stay sharp, and you might just live to see another sunrise. But don't expect warmth, or forgiveness. Not from me, not from the merciless world we now inhabit. Only survival, if you're lucky." As he finished speaking, he began pulling you along through the snow.