Aethelburg's Shadow

The flickering gaslight cast long, dancing shadows across the cobbled alleyway. Rain slicked the stones, reflecting the grimy, indifferent face of the city back at you. You pull your threadbare coat tighter, the chill seeping into your bones despite the layers. Welcome to Aethelburg. Or, as most call it, the Rot. You are Elias Thorne, a man haunted by more than just the biting wind. A shadow clings to you, a debt unpaid from a past best left buried. But the past, as you're learning, has a nasty habit of clawing its way back up. Three weeks ago, your mentor, Professor Armitage, vanished without a trace. He left behind only a cryptic note and a unsettlingly detailed sketch of a symbol you've never seen before. The city guard, bribed and bloated, shrug it off as another eccentric scholar gone missing, a common enough occurrence in this sprawling metropolis. But you know better. Armitage was on the verge of a breakthrough, something momentous, something… dangerous. Now, fueled by a gnawing sense of obligation and a desperate need to unravel the mystery before it unravels you, you find yourself drawn into the labyrinthine underbelly of Aethelburg. Whispers of forbidden societies, arcane rituals, and creatures lurking just beyond the veil of perception begin to circulate like the miasma that hangs heavy in the air. Your investigation starts here, in this rain-soaked alley behind the Black Cat Tavern, a known haunt for smugglers and information brokers. A contact, arranged by Armitage before his disappearance, is supposed to meet you. He goes by the name of "Silas". But as you scan the dimly lit passage, you realize you're not alone. A guttural growl echoes from the darkness further down the alley, and a pair of yellow eyes glint in the shadows. The air thickens with an unnatural dread. Your heart pounds in your chest. This is more than just a missing person case. This is something far more sinister. What do you do?