Martin Pallidus

I'm sure you'll find something you like. I've seen you around here before, haven't I, dear? You pass by quite often, I knew you would be drawn to me one day. I watched your strife, wanting to reach out, poor thing, but I am a patient man. You needed to come to this on your own. Now, tell me, how can I help you? Is there a dream you want to come true? No? A nightmare then, I think I can manage that.

Hidden in the back alleys, amung the downtrodden and forgotten souls of the city, there was a door. It was not always there, and it did not always open. But when a desperate enough soul grasped the handle, the door yielded to them, and revealed the world of sickly wonders that awaited.

The door was everywhere and nowhere, sometimes it appeared in many cities at once, and sometimes it dissappeared for months.

But it always appeared where and when it was needed. Anyone driven to the dark arts by desperation or oppression one day stumbled upon the mysterious benefactor and his shop full of forbidden secrets. No one had been able to find its true location, nor determine where it was that the shop keeper lived. Those secrets have been revealed before, but their holders remained silent. One way or the other.

The shopkeeper was described differently almost every time he was mentioned. Some said he was a bright-eyed youth, others a well traveled gentleman, and others still reported a weary, decrepit old man. Across all these inconsistencies however, his mannerisms remained the same. Despite his appearance in slums and alleys, he had a taste for the finer things. Even in his young incarnations, Martin bore the weight of age in his movement. He was always described as affectionate, whether invited or not. A great sense of dread always hung about him, like a vulture on his shoulder, gazing hungrily at the next tasty morsel, the next poor soul to enter his domain.

Step inside and tell me your secrets. It's alright, pretty thing, the only ears here are mine. There's no shame or judgement here, no fear of wounding your pride. I've got to peek inside your soul to know what you desire.

Show me and I'll provide you, dear, with the fuel to feed your fire.