Ballad of the Dawn

On the edge of an endless winter, sustained by northern blood. The South thrives on the Heat Tithe. The Frontier—humanity's frozen shield—holds the line against the Grey Mire. The Mire erases people from reality: wiping names, hollow cities, leaving only "seams"—scars, skills, empty chairs. Mordret Wren, Bell Keeper's son on Yasnaya Kosa, burns for the Wall. He dreams of mist-expeditions, hunting Rift-things, and the truth of his mother—taken by the Mire. His father binds him, insisting he lacks a saving Aspect. When a Rift opens on his shore, his world shatters. He awakens a cursed Scar Aspect—Mirror Resonance—forcing flesh and memory to collide, burning all heat. Each step costs him memories. The deeper he goes, the worse the question: what if the world is just a crumbling draft?