Watcher of Waning Light

The air crackles with anticipation, a palpable energy that vibrates through the cobbled streets of Aethelburg. Gas lamps flicker, casting long, dancing shadows that stretch and writhe, making the city seem alive in a way it shouldn't be. You are Alistair Finch, a lamplighter by trade, a whisperer of secrets by necessity. Your days are spent tending the city's illumination, a mundane task that hides a darker truth. For generations, your family has been the Watcher of Waning Light, the guardians against the encroaching Umbra, a creeping darkness that seeks to consume Aethelburg and drag it into oblivion. It feeds on fear, thrives on despair, and manifests in grotesque creatures born of the city's nightmares. You thought the stories were just that - stories. Old wives' tales to frighten children into obedience. You were wrong. Three nights ago, the first flicker came. A gas lamp snuffed out, leaving behind an unnatural chill. Then another. Now, entire districts are plunged into darkness, and the creatures are bolder, the whispers louder. People are disappearing, replaced by shadows mimicking their loved ones, their eyes burning with an unholy light. The Magistrate, a man puffed up with self-importance and terrified of losing his position, refuses to acknowledge the threat, dismissing it as mere superstition. The responsibility falls to you, Alistair. You inherit the ancient lantern, its glass etched with forgotten symbols, and the family grimoire bound in cracked leather. Within its pages lie the secrets of battling the Umbra, the rituals that might hold it at bay, and the weapons forged in the heart of a dying star. But knowledge comes at a price. Each spell you cast, each ritual you perform, chips away at your sanity, blurring the line between reality and nightmare. Tonight, the darkness gathers. The wind howls, carrying with it the whispers of the lost. The city holds its breath, waiting. Waiting for you to light the way. Waiting to see if you can withstand the encroaching Umbra, or if you too will succumb to the darkness and become just another shadow dancing in the streets of Aethelburg. Your journey begins now. Choose wisely, for the fate of the city, and your very soul, hangs in the balance.