Author's note: Due to popular vote, I opted to write down what my oc's father goes through as he's taken to Castle Throg. Think of it as a deleted scene before we get a good look at the main villain.
After a long ride in the Black Carriage, Samuel had been dragged onto a ship that traveled for a couple of days. The journey allowed him to make a few observations about his captors and where he was taken.
From the way the Fangs spoke of the place and how other humans react to it, this Castle Throg is possibly an obvious danger zone.
Castle Throg was clearly across the sea, but where and why? The perplexing question lingered in his mind: Why did the Fangs choose this remote location when there were numerous dungeons scattered throughout Skree?
The ship would be rocked by storms in the weeks it took to cross the Dark Sea of Darkness. Samuel was soon dragged out of the ship's hold and into the harsh desert light of the Woes of Shreve; a desert in Dang that used to be a vast garden but the War of the Woes was what led to its barren state and creating what is now known as the Woes.
For days they traveled in the deadly heat of the Woes to the foot of the Killridge Mountains. It felt like they traveled right through the Sahara desert, except it full of white stone and red sand. What's more,
The Fangs forcibly covered Samuel with some strange dye and in robes before they even crossed it.
Humans cannot survive more than a few minutes in the Woes without covering their skin with bloodrock dye. Without bloodrock dye, humans will be burned up by the sun.
The worst would come after they had been hauled to the icy steeps of Throg, Gnag's fortress.
Samuel soon found out as he's led in chains right into a foreboding looking castle after another carriage ride through the forest. Samuel experienced a profound sense of vulnerability without the comforting presence of his trusty walking stick, a steadfast companion that had accompanied him through countless trials. Bereft of its support, he found himself faltering and stumbling intermittently.
"Keep moving!" one of the new wolfish Fangs shoved him.
"Please, I'm doing my best." Samuel replied solemnly.
"Come now," a new voice then spoke. "The father of the Key has been treated appallingly. Remember, he is our guest."
The grey Fang ordering Samuel abruptly halted its movements, assuming a rigid stance of attentiveness.
Curiosity piqued, Samuel instinctively followed the intense gaze of the Fang, only to be confronted by the presence of a woman cloaked in somber black attire. Her pallid visage seemed to emanate an otherworldly aura that sent a shiver down Samuel's spine. Her eyes, an unsettling shade of pale grey, held an enigmatic quality that further heightened Samuel's unease. Though her features possessed a potential for beauty, an eerie aura enveloped her, that had Samuel on edge.
The woman clapped her hands and ordered one of the Fangs to give Samuel something to use for a cane. With an eerie command, the woman in the black cloak swiftly clapped her hands, signaling one of the Fangs to procure an item for Samuel to utilize as a makeshift cane.
Hesitant and apprehensive, Samuel cautiously accepted the proffered object, acutely aware of the unsettling presence that surrounded the woman. Though grateful for the aid, a sense of unease lingered within him. No doubt they're only treating him well for ulterior reasons, and it was best to play along for the moment.
"Thank you. I think." Samuel said uncertainly.
Everywhere he looked there were Fangs everywhere. Some were the reptilian ones he'd seen, others resembled bipedal wolves.
However, his attention was abruptly drawn to a particular passage, where a formidable line of Fangs stood guard before a foreboding chamber. The sight of their collective presence evoked a sense of trepidation within Samuel, hinting at the ominous secrets that lay concealed within that enigmatic chamber.
"Do come in." The woman beckoned. "The Nameless one has been looking forward to meeting you."
Samuel's apprehension intensified as he surveyed his surroundings. Now he knew what Dorothy Gale and her friends felt when they approached the Wizard's meeting chamber. But this was no man using mere parlor tricks behind a machine that he was about to meet. No, this encounter promised to be far more sinister and malevolent in nature.
"Come forward." A man's ragged voice called, but the sound of it send chills down Samuel's spine.
Despite being taken away from his family and facing an uncertain future, Samuel remained determined to survive and reunite with his children somehow. Drawing strength from the timeless wisdom encapsulated within the comforting verses of Psalm 23, he found solace knowing that he was not alone in this perilous journey. He was going to stare this fiend right in the eyes with courage just as Messiah had during his desert seclusion.
With that, Samuel steeled himself and walked into what is very well the belly of the beast. Recognizing that he was about to face a formidable adversary, second only to the Great Deceiver himself, he steeled himself with unwavering resolve, prepared to confront the next dire challenge that lay ahead.
Determinedly, Samuel made his way into the chamber, his mind brimming with vivid imagery of fearsome dragons, blindfolded gorgons, and grotesque creatures that would haunt the darkest recesses of mankind's dreams. Yet, to his surprise and perhaps a tinge of disappointment, he was met by a figure that defied his expectations.