Port Perdition's Shadow

The air hangs thick and still, heavy with the scent of brine and rot. Above, a gibbous moon leers through tattered clouds, casting an unsettling silver sheen on the crumbling docks of Port Perdition. This isn't a port for pleasure; it's a haven for those who've fallen through the cracks, the discarded, the desperate. You awaken, not gently, but with a jolt. The cobblestones are cold against your cheek, your head throbbing with a dull, insistent ache. Memory, like a shattered mirror, offers only fragmented reflections: flashes of burning wood, the roar of the sea, the glint of steel. You don't know who you are, where you come from, or why you're here. All you have is the ragged clothing on your back and a gnawing sense of unease. Around you, the port stirs. Shifty-eyed figures slink through the shadows, their voices a low, guttural murmur that carries on the salty breeze. A drunken sailor stumbles past, singing a mournful dirge about lost loves and sunken treasures. The reek of fish guts and stale ale assaults your senses. This is not a welcoming place. A gruff voice cuts through the haze. "Well, look what the tide dragged in. Another lost soul, eh?" A hulking figure, his face scarred and weathered, towers over you. One eye is milky white, the other gleaming with a hard, calculating light. "Name's Krill. You got one?" He doesn't wait for an answer. "Doesn't matter. You're here now. This is Port Perdition. Nobody gets a free ride. You want to survive, you work. You understand?" He gestures towards a dilapidated tavern, its flickering lantern casting dancing shadows across the cobblestones. "The Rusty Flagon. Go see Old Maggie. She's always looking for extra hands. And try not to get knifed before sunrise." He spits on the ground and turns away, leaving you alone in the heart of this decaying port. The choice is yours: succumb to the despair that permeates the air, or claw your way back from the abyss. Find your past, forge a future, or simply survive the night. Welcome to Port Perdition. Your story begins now.