The cool breath of the Narwain breeze coiled around Lomedor, as if the bitter season were protesting against relinquishing its control to the Ehtele'mele in Gwaeron, but a few months away. Winds dashed the clouds upon the celestial roof, scattering to the four corners of Arda. The stars glinted mischeviously, twinkling as if the infinite sky held the destiny of Ea, played out before their very eyes. Moonbeams rained down upon the streets of Lomedor, bathing it in a silver radiance, allowing the torches scattered across the walls to appear as a blush upon the city’s face.

Yet the glory and scuffles of the heavenly elements meant nothing to the inhabitants of Lomedor whose everyday activities continued as the populace began to scatter throughout the city enjoying the mystical and varied nightlife the port city held. Sailors from the North took in the wide and diverse smells and tastes of the citadel’s cuisine, a combination of sea life and spices. Merchants from Ondoland hawked their wares, hoping to earn an extra coin or two before they returned the long trip. Mysterious silhouettes ducked into silent alleyways conducting business restricted by the day, the sharp glint of metal flashing in the omniscient gaze of the heavens.

It seemed as if all the residents of Lomedor were enjoying the peaceful night that day. All but a single boy of but twenty-five winters. The small peach fuzz of age had finally grown upon his chin, only adding to his image of immaturity. The puffs of air swirling around him caused short wisps of his tousled hair to dance in the wind, their light brown color drifting above his head. Two large emerald eyes glowed from his sun-kissed face, like gemstones sparkling in the sun, hardened by determination and the eerie sense that they could delve into a man’s soul. The boy’s garments reeked of decadence, flapping against his wiry frame. The remnants of red silk covered his torso, while the ripped black trousers wrapped around his thin legs did little to protect him against the calm wind that snaked its way across the streets. The soft impact of leather boots followed the boy, the soles clutching onto the boots in a desperate attempt to further their use. The boy’s name was Thalion, and this night was not unlike any other he had experienced.

A small package lay tucked under his arm pit, the boy’s arm wrapped around the parcel as if it were a new-born infant. Breath in, breath out. His feet raced across the uneven cobblestone streets, nearly becoming a blur. Breath in, breath out. His right arm moved in steady beat, matching the long paces he made along the street. Breath in, breath out.

And so, Thalion continued to rush himself through the narrow avenues of the city, weaving past the crowds that so enjoyed the moonlight. A quick swerve to the right and Thalion found himself upon a new district, the smell of exotic spices wafting through the windows of extravagant glass as laughter crept through the smallest cracks of the homes which lined the street’s edges. Thalion quickly stole a glance at the address before nearly skidding to a stop, his boots almost groaning with the abuse. The courier crouched, placing his palms against his knees in an attempt to catch what little breath he had left. Using a sleeve to wipe the miniscule droplets of sweat that had formed among his brow, Thalion took a final gasp of air before strolling into the store of the rarest of occupations. A mask-maker.

Thalion placed his small package upon the varnished counter of oak, the sweat of his palm leaving the faintest imprint of his presence. Gazing upon the wares of the store’s owners, Thalion glanced upon countless arrays of disguises. Papier-mâché creations covered in gold leaf, leather facades encrusted with precious gems, and even simple wooden masks befit for the shamans of the rainforest lay arranged upon the walls of the shop.

A small cough quickly brought Thalion back to reality as his head snapped towards the source of the sound. A small gnarled man that looked more like a twisted tree then human hobbled his way towards the young courier. Creased hands made their way towards the package, gliding their way upon the polished surface, before pouncing upon the small paper parcel, ripping it off with the surprising ferocity of a beast upon its prey. Instantly, Thalion saw the precious cargo that he had carried across the city, as a large bundle of scarlet velvet passed its way through the elderly man’s fingers, cascading through the man’s palm like wine. The man instantly placed the rich red cloth inside a drawer, Thalion’s emerald orbs catching tiny, glimmering flecks of crimson alight with an inner fire, before the sharp click of a key closed the material off. Thalion imagined the gold the cloth was worth. Far more then its weight in gold, he thought. Thalion’s heart swelled with pride as a small grin formed its way across his small lips. The courier imagined the trust required to give him such precious cloth.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” smiled the old man, revealing a set of empty gums, “that material can only be found deep in the valley of Nandgirith. It’s a wonder how the thieves managed to get a hold of it.” Thalion found himself amazed. The idea that the cloth came from such an exotic area amazed him, especially since he had only stepped outside the walls of Lomedor for but a single day, never venturing to escape the boundaries of familiarity.

“It’s gorgeous. Whatever is made from that cloth must be worth a fortune!” replied Thalion, however whatever conversation that could have been formed was instantly cut off when the door of the store abruptly opened, a rather pompous-looking noble striding in, his cloak struggling to stay upon his massive frame and even larger abdomen.

“Old man!” the noble exclaimed, “where is that mask you promised me? The Carnival of Lomedor is tonight and I must have it now!” Thalion gave the mask-maker a sad glance as the old man’s eyes lost their luster.

”I’m sorry I can’t give you a bit of coin, but take whatever mask you wish from that bin in the corner” whispered the mask maker as his bony finger pointed towards an ancient chest near the window. The old man then swiveled around towards the patron.

Thalion gave a disgusted look towards the noble, his eyes glinting with anger and his fists balled tightly before he approached the chest. Opening the lid, Thalion gave out a gasp as his eyes locked on to an extraordinary mask. Although less elaborate then the masks lining the walls, Thalion extracted the object, placing it upon his face. Swiveling around towards a mirror, Thalion grinned to himself. Covering only the upper part of the face from the forehead to the nose and upper cheeks, the mask did quite a wonderful job in concealing his identity. Representing complete balance between the lunar and solar aspects of the day, the mask lay symmetrical with the exception of the magnificent color of the mask. Sapphire velvet encompassed one half while flaxen gold covered the other. Swirls and elaborate patterns of gold accented the disguise. Although only papier-mâché, Thalion treated it like gold, as he exited the shop, heading towards the Carnival of Lomedor. No longer was he Thalion Tuilinn, the messenger and commoner of Lomedor. Forsaking the common titles and despite the appearance of his garments, Thalion had become a Gentleman of the Carnival.

The Carnival of Lomedor: Lights, sounds, laughter, all underneath a stary sky. There was an air of interesting attributes that whirrled around the city like vultures around a dead carcas. This was truely the time for merryment and drinking. And for the woman on the corner of the square, time to make a little extra gold.

Surrounding a square table sat a woman with a purple cloak on. Golden chains held the cloak towards her face. Her black bangs gave a simple yet elegant look to her face that was covered mostly by the overshadow caused by the torches on all four sides. The table itself was wooden, oak to be precise, strong and sturdy. In front of her was a chair for patrons to sit.

A man walked up to her. "Fortune told good sir?" She asked. He nodded. She gestured to the chair in front of her. He took off his coat and sat down on the chair and handed her his hand. She gently took his hand and smoothed out his calused hand in hers. "Ah, Good Sir is a carpenter. One who works hard yes..." She said nodding. "And one who deeply loves his wife and child. But I see a glimmer of shadow in the corner. Good sir has a great many secrets. But to reveal them will be easy if sir knows how to handle situations. Carpenter, yes. Builds many things. Secrets, it appears...Is the greatest work he does." she said. The man shivered at her look as they locked eyes. He pulled back and placed a bag of silver on her table and left hurriedly. "Good sir has a great many secrets. she thought as a group of people passed, one bore a mask on his face and seemed quite young. "Would the young master like his fortune told?" she said as she waved to the boy. He definately seemed interesting.

The city of Lómëdor, admired by many as the very center of society, the shining star in the sky, the very....Well if you want the rest then ask somebody who cares. Most people would describe the city as many of the above and even more, something about big cities with libraries, famous inns and whatnot seem to attract people in that way, however if you search hard enough you will find many people who loath the place, for example young Konata Slytharn, or Kogata as she is often known.

Now, Kogata had nothing really against Lómëdor, it was just the pure fact that she had to wander around this city every day of her life and barely manage to make a decent living off it, having been raised in a small desert village she was used to much hotter temperatures and drier climates and as one would expect the damp and colder city she found herself in wasn't her cup of tea. She had already been here three months and she soon realized she was no better off here than she was at home, but this place did have an upside: No cruel stepfather to give her grief, the weather did enough of that.

And on this night, of all nights, Kogata found herself wandering the streets again, cold, hungry and homeless, even her small dragon, Kyte, was not enough to cheer her up these days and it was all she could do to avoid eating the small thing. The dragon in question was currently fluttering above her head, keeping a close eye out for anything that might satisfy Kogata's hunger on such a low budget, he'd resorted to trying to steal from a butchers at least twice but had been caught in the act and just managed to avoid a cleaver to the head. Kogata did not believe in stealing and had made sure to make it clear she didn't want her dragon doing it again.

She reached the end of the street and immediately darted to the very corner and looked round it, her nose twitching like a mouse. She glimpsed left then right before moving out into the open and observing a perfectly clear street. She titled her head to one side, confused, and gazed down the road. Usually this place was alive with activity and people bustling about as they do. On occasion she'd managed to pick up things people had dropped before scurrying out of sight before they realized what had happened. In many ways Kogata was very similar to a small rodent, like a rat or a mouse, it wasn't hard to imagine whiskers and a worm-like tail on her person and nobody would be surprised if she did.

The empty street was already beginning to scare the paranoid girl, wild fantasies whizzed about her head like the inside of a bee's nest, buzzing to be heard. She crept backwards a few steps and tore down the street, heading towards the city square. As she grew closer she heard sounds of people, lots of people at that. The wild fantasies of demons invading were swept out of her mind in an instant and she skidded to a halt. There was some sort of convention happening in the square, she could hear music and laughing and the sounds of other things she'd rather not think about.

Kogata hated being around lots of people, especially when there were lots of loud noises to add to that factor. She took a small step backwards and prepared to run. However once she turned around her gaze shot upwards to see a man wearing some sort of strange mask. The sight of a person behind her alone was enough to frighten her but the fact her was wearing a mask as well just really freaked her out. She let out a short scream and tripped over her own feet, falling hard onto her own backside and crawling a few feet away from the strange man.

Apiros Kilmore was a being that nobody would expect to be in line for having his fortune read, but he was already wearing a red mask that seemed to make most of his draconic limbs to be part of an elaboratye costume. To him the logic was simple, if he was already caught in a mask than he was already going to be found at a fortune teller's. A man was already having his fortune told and it was going to be Apiros' turn next but he couldn't help but leave to go find out what was making so much racket without him. He was going to return to the fortune teller's later but for now he was interested in what was taking his place.

When he arrived he saw some tumblers preforming some tricks. Apiros made his way to the front of nthe crowd and applauded the tumblers. He wasn't feeling very competitve that night, most likley because it was a night for celbration and joy. The tumblers seemed to point him out and one of them stopped to announce his presence. "Apiros Kilmore! Performer of the seas and recent competitor on the seas!" Apiros just smile and flexed a bit, almost chuckling with joy when the tumblers invited him.

They did not have to ask him to join twice because he was more than happy enough to join in. The crowd seemed to cheer, most of them seemed to be from the ship he was recently on. He did a series of somersaults and flips before climing up the side of the nearest building and dropping off to do one of his tricks. It was a grand old time and the way he made his money. He took a bow before waving the tumbler's hand and leaving.

Luckily his mask was still on his face and he returned to the line of the fortune teller. There was a man already inside and Apiros payed attention to what the fortune teller said. The man was apparently a Carpenter. And also something about secrets, most likley lies and alleyway trading. The man shivered and left a bag of silver in front of the fortune teller and a group of people walked by the fortune teller's. She seemed to point out Apiros and invite him in, all he had right now was a couple of gold coins but for the moment that would probably brighten the forune teller's future. He entered with a smirk, whispering to the man about clearing up his lies. Apiros sat down in the chair and awaited intructions.

In the heart of the grand city-state Lómëdor, the central square was buzzing with activity. Music filled the air as a parade of entertainers danced through the streets, leading a great menagerie of creatures and people that followed in their wake. Colorful decorations adorned anything within sight and reach that could be affixed with embellishments. The thumping bass of many drums beating in unison could be heard throughout the city square, rhythmically vibrating through everything between its origin and the furthest points its radial energy could carry it.

Although Thalion’s footsteps lacked the rhythmic strikes of the resonating drums near the city square, the young messenger’s heart began to match the beat. Almost magically, Thalion’s manner began to change. Evolution began to occur as his heart began to flutter. With the graceful progress of a swan gliding through a lake, the courier’s slouched back began to straighten, his strides growing long and powerful, full of purpose. The cruel winds that had previously stripped Thalion of any warmth cooled to a calm breeze, causing Thalion’s tattered silken tunic to flutter with the wind, tickling the texture of his sun-kissed skin. Tufts of amber hair drifted above his emerald orbs, accenting his rustic appearance, his petite lips curling into an elegant grin. Moonbeam began to bathe the young Lomedorian with its silver glow, causing the golden arcs of Thalion’s mask to sparkle and twinkle giving him a poised lunar aura. The great dichotomy between his tattered garments and his behavior seemed almost confusing yet strangely swan-like.

The noise around him increased in volume as he drew nearer to the hotbed of the Carnival celebrations, and he made sure to look at it all with a smile on her lips. However, the sharp clicks of boots suddenly snapped Thalion out of his approach, his entire body twisting towards the source of the sound. Echoes of the footsteps reverberated along the narrow alleys of Lomedor, only increasing the frantic nature of the figure. Thalion’s grin slowly curved into a slight frown, as his glowing eyes looked towards the celebrations, only a few lengths away. Turning his attention back towards the sounds, the boy’s curiosity overcame him.

Strange, thought Thalion to himself, I’m sure that the Thieves ensured that tonight would be a day off for all. Pondering over the source of the sound, Thalion’s attempted to diminish the noise of his own leather boots, creeping across the cobblestone path like a jaguar upon its prey. The stealthy movements of his body combined with the curious mask that he wore caused Thalion to appear like the thieves that he so often was employed by, yet Thalion’s inquisitiveness did little to bother with the thought of his comparison.

Suddenly, the wild clicks of boots stopped almost as suddenly as they began. The beams of light that the once bathed him were no more and left only the ominous shadows to bask the young man. Swiveling around, Thalion began to speculate whether the sounds were of his own imagination. Shrugging to himself, Thalion turned around to return to the Carnival, until he spotted a young girl, inches from his body.

Shock accelerated throughout Thalion’s body, nearly causing him to jump in surprise. How had this girl managed to sneak up on him so fast? Thalion’s heart beats increased dramatically, as he prepared to run, until a scream pierced the rhythmic drums that resonated through the city. Pigeons that had roosted so peacefully near the roof tops, took flight immediately in an attempt to escape the shrill cry. Thalion attempted to silence the girl lest a roaming Guardsman attempt to investigate the source of the scream, yet in a cruel twist of fate, the girl tripped over her own feet, causing immediate silence.

Thalion looked down upon the girl, as she attempted to crawl backwards. She was but a mere child more likely frightened or confused then anything else. His emerald eye’s hard glaze softened as pity began to fill his emotions for the child. Crouching down, Thalion met the child’s eyes before offering the girl his naked palm.

“There’s no need to be frightened, little girl,” spoke Thalion, his voice as musical as a bird’s singing in the wind, “I’m not going to hurt you.” Thalion looked up and down the street looking for a trace of the girl’s parents before continuing, “Where are your parents? Are they already at the Carnival?”

The boy heard her call and walked over to her small table. As he was approaching she was shuffling her tarot deck, known as the Deck of Dragons. She smiled interested in this boy as he walked up to her. She gestured for him to sit as her smile shown beneath her lavender cloak. "Good evening young master. I see the urdge to know your future has brought you here correct Master Apiros Kilmore?" she chuckled as she cut her deck into three stacks and moved her right hand over them and chose the one on the far right. "Ah, this is the deck that will show your future." She said smiling and placed the other two decks to the side and placed the one she had chose onto the small corner.

Drawing the first card she smiled and placed it on the first house, a division on the far left where the sections of the table were divided. Placing it face up it revealed a woman with a water urn that was upsidedown to the fortune teller. Her eye caught something as the water appeared to move momentarily and she nodded. "Ah, the maiden of the house of light seems to guide you tonight. Yes. A good sign for young master. The waters definately clear tonight, also a good sign of fortune for you." she smiled as she turned over the next card, this card was a right side up sword, the sword in her eyes seemed to shine as its veiw tipped once or twice then returned to normal. She tilted her head back in amusement as she flipped the next card without revealing the swords meaning. This card was strange to most who did not know its origins. It was a black man whose torso was that of a human, the lower half was that of a shadow dragon, his eyes were yellow and seemed to be glaring upon the fortune tellers patron. It was upside down. She looked on as something caught her eye at the tail. However it disappeared before she could fully concentrate upon it.

Giving another tilt of the head she smiled. "Good Master is truely a curious one, for the sword of Chance has appeared. You are definately a curious one Apiros, but this is also a good thing. Many do not see your true power but that is because it is guarded by Shadowthrone. And for Him to appear after the Chance is truely interesting. For that means soon you will come to a crossroad in you life. One path is good, and will lead you to recognition for your abilities. The other of ill and may prove what those who think lowly of you would be correct. However..." she said turning the fourth card. This one was a crown of jewels and faced rightside up. "I see that you would take the path that fate has destined for you. And you will be rewarded somehow for your efforts. Now for the last house." "She flipped the last card and looked at it before laying it down. Her eyes, though hidden from him, were wide as she saw this one. She looked at the Chance sword, it seemed to tilt the other way in her mind's eye as she looked upon the card in her hand."I believe luck has chosen a side tonight for you."she said placing down a card labled Oponn, It was a picture of a boy and a girl joined at the waist. Both faced the same direction on the card so that when laid down they would face either right or left. The boy was facing right side up and was looking right as in between their hands the coin they held was the face of a male. "It appears young master. That for tonight at least. Luck, although it may not appear to be, will be in your favor tonight. But I give you a warning. Enjoy it while it lasts. For the sword chance is Oponns' blade, and the twins do seem to enjoy twisting how luck works in ones favor. But as for tonight, your fortune will be great." she said smiling finishing up the reading.

Perhaps it had something to do with not meeting many people throughout her life, or possibly she had somehow crossed minds with a mouse when she was born, or maybe the scars etched into her memory from the way her step father treated her was the reason, but whatever it was Kogata was scared of just about everyone she met and it was this paranoia that had left her out on the streets refusing help from others. Of course, suddenly turning around and seeing a strange man in a mask didn't help matters either, if any it made them a good deal worse and so, as usual Kogata found herself rooted to the spot for fear of a stranger who held very little chance of actually harming her.

Now stuck in this awkward situation, Kogata could think of nothing but what this man might try and do to her, and all that did was make her situation even worse than before. A few tears welled up in her eyes (but those were probably due to falling on her own backside) and she glanced up and down the street nervously, trying to take her attention off the strange man in the mask. As soon as the stranger bent down however she froze, unable to take her eyes away from him. He was close enough for her to make out a pair of green eyes staring out from behind his mask, returning Kogata's gaze without so much as a quiver.

She swallowed and stared up at the man, trying to will her legs into standing up and running off, however they seemed to be taking the night off, of all the times. For now all Kogata could do was stare back at the man and listen to what he was saying, Kogata was good at listening it was just interpreting what was being said that she could manage. However what this man was saying could only mean exactly what Kogata heard, so on the upside there was no chance of her misunderstanding his sentence to mean anything else, however both her hands balled into fists at the mention of 'parents'.
"E...Err...T-the what?" The man had mentioned a carnival or something, at least that explained the music and the large concentration of people "Well......Not exactly."

Kogata was still nervous of this man, however something in his voice seemed to hold something that calmed down even her nerves, and all the wild fantasies that usually filled her head were absent. She swallowed again, finding herself unable to look away from the man.

Apiros listened intently to the fortune teller. It did not surprise him when she knew his name, not because of his bit of fame but because over the years he had learned how right a fortune-teller was. But it was also something deeper, his elfin blood was quick to recognize a magic user and at that moment it seemed to react to her. She cut her deck into three stacks and found which one would tell his future. Any skeptic in Apiros' current position would suspect that the name guessing was either luck or they had met before. A skeptic would also think that the choosing of the deck was random. But Apiros knew better, he knew to not doubt one in which his elfin blood reacted to.

The first card was a woman holding an urn of water. "Ah, the maiden of the house of light seems to guide you tonight. Yes. A good sign for young master. The waters definately clear tonight, also a good sign of fortune for you." The fortune teller said, suprising Apiros. He wondered why a follower of light would be his first card. He was often baffled by fortune tellers but trained himself enough not to show it.

The next card was a sword and the fortune teller reacted in what seemed to be surprise. But she did not reveal the meaning of the card. If Apiros had paid a good deal of attention to fortune tellers in the past he would know what the card meant, but he only knew of one card in which he hoped it would not show in this deck. The next card was a half dragon, half man and half shadow dragon with yellow eyes.

At last the fortune teller revealed the meaning of the sword. "Good Master is truely a curious one, for the sword of Chance has appeared. You are definately a curious one Apiros, but this is also a good thing. Many do not see your true power but that is because it is guarded by Shadowthrone. And for Him to appear after the Chance is truely interesting. For that means soon you will come to a crossroad in you life. One path is good, and will lead you to recognition for your abilities. The other of ill and may prove what those who think lowly of you would be correct. However..." She flipped the next card over. It was a crown with jewels decorating it. "I see that you would take the path that fate has destined for you. And you will be rewarded somehow for your efforts. Now for the last house." He hoped that from the card's appearance that it would lead him down a path of good. He did not wish to be caught in darkness and the half dragon card seemed to wander in his mind.

She flipped the final card over so Apiros could see it. It was another sword that seemed to surprise the fortune teller somewhat. Apiros was good and noticing small tells in people and from time to time he was a bit of a gambler. "I believe luck has chosen a side tonight for you." She said as she placed a card on the table. It was labeled "Oponn" and had a picture of conjoined twins. One was a brother and the other was a sister, they seemed to face the same way. "It appears young master. That for tonight at least. Luck, although it may not appear to be, will be in your favor tonight. But I give you a warning. Enjoy it while it lasts. For the sword chance is Oponns' blade, and the twins do seem to enjoy twisting how luck works in ones favor. But as for tonight, your fortune will be great." She said smiling as she finished.

Apiros sat and danced the images of the cards around his mind. The half dragon card still took place in his head and he quickly snapped back into reality. He took a couple gold pieces from a pocket and placed them on the table. “Thank you for your time seer.” He said with a smile on his face. “Hopefully your words will be placed in layman’s terms for me.” He joked a bit before leaving and waving goodbye. He still pondered the full meaning of the cards. He didn’t hate puzzles but they often frustrated him, and this was another puzzle.

H e wandered out into the streets of Lomedor, his mind was not going to stop thinking of the cards anytime soon unless something happened to take his mind from it. And from what the fortune teller said Apiros doubted anything big would happen on this night.

Kenith stalked quietly through the crowd, and the crowd seemed to part as he neared. A small bubble of clear space followed him wherever he went. Perhaps they didn't want to near a man with a very convincing zombie costumed companion. However, this zombie was no fake, it was real, very very real. It looked slowly, left to right, and back again, as it followed after its master.

Kenith looked at some of the entertainers, he watched them move around with some interest. Their costumes were bright and colorful, heavily contrasting Kenith's own garb. He sighed, shaking his head to this vibrant display of life. Being a Dhamphir, Kenith was practically half-dead, neither truly living nor dead. So it was rather self-explanatory why he found this only partially entertaining.

The half-vampire pulled his cloak tighter around him, and he continued to wander. Soon enough, something else caught his eye. Kenith turned lightly on his bare feet, now facing the fortune teller's location. He blinked a few times in contemplation, and muttered something incomprehensible, before walking over.

Emotions welled up within Thalion’s heart, as he mentioned the word “parents.” The empty vacuum of motherly love that Thalion would never be able to experience and the raging anger towards his father caused Thalion’s heart to swell, as the conflicting emotions brought him back towards his childhood.

Flaxen beams of gold flowed through the shambles of the decadent building. Whatever glorious foundations the Twinkle Shine Orphanage had once received from its wealthy patrons was now lost forever. Where once the quaint and humble building stood, only a shell of its former splendor stood in its place. The shingles had long fallen off leaving only the original wooden façade, already decaying from age and neglect. Long boards of wood now covered the shattered glass windows that once shined like jewels, allowing the building to shine as brightly as the greatest stars. The once vibrant paint now peeled like insignificant notices, flapping in the slight breeze.

Children of all ages filled the building, their frantic games leading to only chaos as elderly priestesses scrambled to keep a hold of them. Filth seemed to thrive as the foundations groaned, attempting to prolong the imminent fall of the orphanage. The excretions and urine of the younger children littered one corner, while some lay on the floor their coughs resonating throughout the small room.

A young boy of 15 stood in the dank dampness of the room, his emerald orbs boring down into the eyes of a youngling who had attempted to steal his meal. The priestesses barely earned enough to feed themselves, and a meal for the children was already a luxury to the orphans. Although it was simply a piece of moldy bread, Thalion treated it as if it were precious gold, defending it ruthlessly against the grasp of his companions. However, despite Thalion’s age and height over his fellow orphans, his weak frame was no match for the nearly feral instincts of survival that held many of the children within its grasp. Before long, Thalion was consumed through the many clutching fingers and hands of children, ripping what little food he had to crumbs, before jumping to the ground, hoping to catch a few more pieces of bread in desperation.

It wasn’t long before the priestesses noticed the pandemonium that occurred, quickly dragging Thalion from under the pile, his nose bursting with crimson blood, coating his loose smock, turning it into a grotesque shade of burgundy.

Thalion winced once or twice as he touched his nose gingerly, his emerald eyes subtly losing whatever softness they had just experience, reverting back to the almost glowering glace that he seemed to persistently hold.

"E...Err...T-the what?" questioned the girl, causing Thalion’s eyebrows to slightly jump in surprise. Almost everyone in Lomedor knew of the magnificence of the Carnival. The girl must have been a visitor. Perhaps a runaway? There were plenty enough in the city as it was and Thalion had once come close to becoming the vermin that littered the walled city. "Well......Not exactly," continued the girl.

Thalion’s idea was only confirmed as he stole a second glance at the girl. A tattered cloak of faded red draped her shoulders, a small bird of some sort flapping its wings around her, and to Thalion’s great surprise, a massive and wide blade upon her. Definitely a visitor, Thalion thought.

“Well, little girl, why don’t we just go get something to eat? I’m sure I can snatch a few bites for us from one of these stalls,” Thalion replied, deciding not to push her past, “I’m Thal, by the way.”

Without looking back to see if she was following, Thalion strode towards the crowd, adjusting his mask, before suddenly bumping into perhaps the most grotesque costume he had ever laid his eyes on. Looking forward, Thalion’s nose was instantly assaulted by the festering odors of decay and time, his eyes cringing at the appearance of rotting flesh, insects flying near the body, maggots crawling over its fleshy tissue. “Nice costume,” Thalion grumbled, brushing off pieces of rotting tissue from his own tattered shirt.

Striding towards a vendor, Thalion reached for his pocket, before he felt ivory enamel sink into his wrist. A scream of terror and pain ricocheted off the walls of the square as Thalion’s eyes dilated in horror, his gaze meeting the skull of the former person he had just bumped into, the undead’s mouth sinking into the flesh of his wrist. With a powerful kick, Thalion shook his wrist from the undead’s jaw, black blood oozing from his wound. Grabbing his wrist, Thalion stared in horror over what had occurred. “Are you mad!?” Thalion roared.

((Sorry for the rushed post and the time delay. Kenith, I hope you’re okay with me having your zombie bite me.  It’s just that I have an awesome plot development thing in my mind!))

Apiros wandered through the heavy crowd, his mind still in thought about what the fortune teller had said about luck and it's changing. The half dragon also seemed to bore in his mind. He was truly in an undead-like daze, wandering around without a true care for anything around him. He passed several vendors selling foods, drinks, masks, and of course the occasional stolen jewelry. Several drunken dwarves were each wearing an iron mask and dancing around outside of a nearvy tavern to a medly from a local bard that Apiros often listened to. The Bard preferred the flute and tonight it did not change. But as Apiros had generally found the bard alone instead he was playing with several others. This seemed to take Apiros' mind off of the cards and onto his general thoughts. He generally lived by a code that was "Whatever happens, happens. And whatever comes stand up and try to over come any challenge." The cards had a very slim chance of returning to his mind on that night. Gypsies and fortune tellers were not wrong often, but it was because of them that Apiros lived by his code.

He applauded the dwarves and bards for a while before joining in and causing a chorus of laughter from the crowd and the dwarves themselves, even the musicians were about to explode in laughter before Apiros left, laughing to his heart's content. This was a night of celebration, a night of joy and fun. Not a time to wither away thinking about cards! He continued forward until he heard a scream from a vendor's place of business. If it had been one of anger Apiros would simply ignore it, but this was one of fright, followed by a complaint. Apiros just had to see what the ruckus was about. He came to see a man looking at the severed head of an undead. Apparently it bit the man on the wrist. Hopefully he wouldn't turn undead like the head of that which had bitten him.

Apiros made his way to in front of the head and looked in it's soulless eyes. "Not too pretty huh?" Apiros asked rhetorically as he made sure his mask was on right. He forgot to check it earlier but for some reason the severed head gt him thinking about all of the differant masks in the crowd. The man seemed to have a small, yet individual one on his face. "Not a normal mask that you have huh? Mine was made by my mother a couple of dozen birthdays ago from my father's scales." He could really care less about a mask at any given time of any given day, but for some reason this night brought a series of wonders to his mind. Along with the smell of liquor that had somehow attached itself to Apiros, the smell of the head reeked with it's stench of death. right now he really wished he wasn't in front of it's mouth, but didn't want to move out of the way.

There wasn't alot Kogata could do right now except sit on the ground and wait for this man to do whatever he was going to do and go away, however it didn't appear like he was going to go away anytime soon. Kogata found herself glancing about at random and wishing for the man to move off. She found a man with a strange mask on his face very intimidating, especially one leaning so close to her and on top of that addressing her. However the way the man spoke didn't even begin to alert the small girl, in a way it was kind of reassuring, her panic had certainly subsided long ago.

It came as a small surprise to the elven girl when the man stood up and walked past her, leaving her sitting on the cold, hard road. She found herself staring into space for a few minutes before she realized where he'd gone.
"Wha...? Oh! Hey, wait for me!" She called after him.
Surprisingly she found herself getting to her feet and taking several hurried steps after the man. How strange, a minute ago she'd been frightened by this man and wishing for him to go away and leave her alone and now she was following him into a large crowd of people, something which went against Kogata's very nature.
He didn't hypnotize me, did he? She thought, however this scenario was tossed out of her head after only being there for a moment.

She eventually caught up to the man and slowed to a walk beside him, panting a little to try and catch her breath. She looked about and saw that they had wandered into the city square where, as she had expected, there was a large amount of people milling about and enjoying themselves. Kogata shivered at the sight of all these strangers in masks and moved closer to the strange man, only she found that he'd sped off somewhere. She looked about and noticed him eying one of the stalls. She moved in his direction but backed off when a masked elf crossed her path, chatting to another masked wierdo, this course of action sent her tumbling into a fat man wearing an overly decorated face-mask with a ton of phoenix feathers covering it.
"Watch where you're going," the man snapped, brutishly.
"I'm sorry," Kogata squeaked and hurried back in the direction of Thal.

She froze however, hearing the man yell and seeing the bite wound on his wrist.
"What the?"
Almost immediately, Kyte flew up into the air and fired a powerful holy blast at the undead responsible, however he missed and the shot ended up striking one of the iron masked dwarves in the face. It didn't do him much harm but the shock did send him tumbling to the ground.
"Oops," Kogata bit her lip and rushed over to the commotion.
This isn't like me! She thought Why am I so eager to help these people all of a sudden.

(Sorry about the length, I'm having trouble writing today, kinda sick.)

Kenith rubbed his chin slowly. Kenith looked side to side, wondering what was going on. He turned around, that would explain it. Kenith walked back over to the scene of chaos, his face as passive as ever.

Kenith yanked the zombie head away from the man's arm. "Ah sorry, he dosn't know whats not to be bitten it seems." Kenith rotated the head in his hand, as though it was nothing more than an apple. He sighed and crushed the head in his clutch. "My best appologies sir, you should only loose a hand..." He paused, placing a finger to his lips.

Kenith shrugged and returned to the fortune teller's establishment.

A man approached dressed in dark clothing and took the head before crushing it. He seemed to be apologizing for lozing it and apologizing for the ruckus it caused. But Apiros couldn't leave it at just that. He rushed a couple of feet in front of the apparent necromancer and stopped. "Okay, first explain what a necromancer is doing in Lomedor? Especially without an army uf undead at your side? It seems kind of odd considering half the people here can fight." Apiros wanted an answer and wanted it soon, he didn't want to waste too much time tonight. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for a response.

(Sorry for the short post, but my mind is pretty much spent on Algebra)

This day was turning out to be, how better could see put it, rather strange. For a start there was this carnival that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere, not to mention the sudden fashion of wearing strange looking masks, and these alone were already beginning to creep Kogata out. She just didn't mingle with other people so well, merely for the fact that she had a paranoia problem that seemed to override all her other instincts, in a way she was much like a mouse, small, cute and harmless but also terrified by even the slightest things.

It wasn't surprising, being brought up the way she was Kogata was very wary of people she did know and did her best to avoid them, this instinct was also accompanied by an opposite feelings towards people she did know, if anybody actually managed to have a conversation with the small elven girl without her shivering she would most likely become a little clingy, much like a mouse.

Of course that was what she was doing now, the whole carnival thing and the masked strangers jostling her about and sending her rodent instincts through the roof was alone enough to scare her to death, but the head suddenly leaping out and biting someone was indeed the last straw and upon seeing the mutilated skull she had scurried behind the man she'd met before and was now cowering behind him not wishing to be seen.

A sudden crunch of bone met her ears and she bit her lip, trembling. It had probably been a mistake to come here in the first place, she hated large crowds and the masks would generally scare her away enough already, however this didn't seem to be the case and Kogata for one would certainly be in line to ask why the hell she was here in the first place!?

She peaked out from her hiding place and noticed the crushed skull in the hands of another strange man currently speaking with a....A.....What the heck was that? Apart from the mask the figure looked even weirder than everybody else, or perhaps it was the mask after all, but it would have to be a pretty weird mask. Of course all Kogata could think of doing was retreating behind the man again and bitterly wishing she'd never come here in the first place.

Pain coursed through Thalion's arm, his eyes doing all they could to restrain the watering tears that had already begun to condense within his emerald orbs, sparkling with the agony of his flesh. To his great dismay, a sob escaped Thalion's throat, his lips uttering a gutteral tone. The crimson blood that effused from his gaping wound slowly turned a grotesque shade of black, a small pool forming next to the vendor of the carnival.

The young messenger attempted to surpress the pain, his palm quickly gripping the wound. Attempting to compress the open flesh, white hot needles of torture and agony erupted once again causing a small scream to emit itself from his mouth. Rage against the costumed undead quickly turned to fear for his life as Thalion's precious life blood continued to profuse from his wound. Thalion's greying trousers were soon doused in a thicker shade of burgundy, a combination of red and black liquid coating his sun-kissed skin.

What precious energy Thalion's arm once contained slowly began to fade away, his face turning a deadly shade of white, his fleshy cheeks of rose losing all of its complexion. Without sudden warning, Thalion slowly fell to his knees, his mind urging itself to conciousness. It was for these short moments that the courier completely forgot about his assailant only worrying for the massive amounts of blood that his body was losing. Ragged bits of skin began to flap in the wind only causing the boy's nerves to further cry out in pain.

Suddenly, the flailing body of the headless undead caught itself upon Thalion's wounded arm, sharp talons digging themselves further into his wound. Thalion's vision faltered as his gradually weakening body created a distance between the undead and his arm, the odor no longer worrying Thalion, his mind more occupied with the excruciating pain then the malignant smell which had begun to permeate the air along with the warm smell of iron that came from his blood. Had there been any vampires that night in the crowd, Thalion would have been dead...or worse.

Suddenly, a voice of a boy not yet reaching manhood reached Thalion's ears already becoming deaf to much of his surroundings. "Not a normal mask that you have huh? Mine was made by my mother a couple of dozen birthdays ago from my father's scales." The simple comment enraged Thalion, only his pain stopping him from attacking the person, his vision too blurred with agony to distinguish the blurs that started to form around him. This clouded vision however was only made worse when a sudden beam of white light whistled past his head, the holy beam blinding Thalion temporarily. Thalion attempted to shake the stars that had begun to form in front of him frantically before another dark voice appeared.

"Ah sorry, he dosn't know what's not to be bitten it seems. My best appologies sir, you should only loose a hand..." taunted the figure, its voice morbid and mocking at the same time. Enraged by the comment he had formerly heard, adreneline suddenly rushed to Thalion Tuilinn's muscles, his unbitten hand slipping into a single implement of battle, his brass knuckles that the Thieves had once given him for protection upon the dangerous streets of Lomedor. Yet, all that didn't matter as his mind thought of only one thing. Vengeance.

For a split second, Thalion's blurred vision cleared, his body finding the strength to climb towards its feet, pumping his legs towards the dark figure. With a cry of rage, Thalion rushed towards the figure, a bone crushing blow of his brass knuckles aimed towards the dark figure's skull. He only hoped that his feet would carry him far enough to deliver the blow.

((Sorry if I seem a bit rushed in my post))

Kenith paused from his return, now he was just getting irritated. Why did things have to keep interrupting him? He wanted that fortune told; he has had it told many times, different each time. The constant changes in his fortune interested him, Kenith wanted to know which fortune was true. He sighed, just another setback, and looked the half-dragon up and down. "Nice costume." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and watched the boy fume with irritation. "I'm here because I want to be. I have the same right to be here as a half-dragon. Also, whats to say I never had an escape plan in my mind when I came here? Perhaps I'm enacting it as we speak? Perhaps you are part of that plan? I wont tell, there is no need to tell you." He turned and began to walk back to his destination.

He doubted he would actually make it to the fortune teller's, but he had expected it to be the half-dragon to interrupt him first. He sighed in irritation and watched Thailon charge towards him in a blind rage. Kenith grinned when the man could clearly see it; then he vanished for a brief second, reappearing next to his headless zombie. He shrugged lightly, and began to walk away.