Festival of the Dead

Introduction

It was the ideal autumn day for the festival; the sky was blue, the air was cold and crisp, and nothing unusual was afoot. The chatter of the townspeople filled the square as they scurried along with their wooden baskets past the vendors' carts. The streets were lined with a variety of goods ranging from fresh green apples to hats of different shapes and sizes. Standing at the glass blowing counter with a basket full of bottles and brightly colored containers was Guinevere Knutson, in her tattered white coat and worn-out shoes as usual. The broad-shouldered man at the coal counter could easily be distinguished as Euandros. Gia, dressed in her most casual afternoon attire, stood at the artillery shop, looking over knives and determining which was sharpest. On the other side of the shop was Mystra, examining the spears of different lengths. Lucan was casually strolling down the court, taking in everything that was happening around him. Everything seemed perfect, exactly how the Parliament wanted everyone to believe. However, if someone were to look closer, they would see uneasiness in the eyes of the people and feel a chill in the air which wasn't due to the cold.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream was heard, making people stop what they were doing and whip their head towards the commotion. It was a man near the middle of the square. He clutched his head and screamed again. His knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, violently jerking with convulsions. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun, his screams ceased to be heard and his body became still. People were huddled around him in shock, but it wasn't something that was unexpected. It had been the eleventh death in that week; all with the same circumstances.

Euandros turned his head to see a large crowd gathering around the man that laid in the center. He thought for a moment before noticing a woman on her knees next to the man, opening up her large mint green purse. Interested, he advanced toward the crowd, but felt a solid thump against his back. He began to yell at whoever collided with him, then suddenly broke off, his eyebrows knitting into a frown. Even though he had never seen this young man before, he seemed strangely familiar. He opened his mouth again to say something, but thought better of it, and decided to keep quiet and moved on toward the lady, with the man close behind. He pushed through the crowd until he got to the clearing in which the dead man lay. Euandros kneeled down by the woman to inspect the body. He could not see any signs of disease or injury. It all looked very suspicious to him, something that he had seen happen before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked back at the young man that had followed him. Something was not right here.

Meanwhile at the artillery shop, Gia and Mystra noticed the commotion and exchanged questioning looks. They then made their way towards the crowd together just close enough to see the man's body on the cold hard ground. Being a professional assassin, Gia studied the body, impressed at how no cuts or blade marks showed, as if there was no weapon used at all. Even she, who had years of experience, couldn't fathom someone having the ability to kill in that manner. She intended to find whoever committed this formidable crime and learn from their skills. Mystra, trying to maintain her ladylike demeanor as much as possible, looked at the body with an expression of fear on her face. However, she was thinking about who did this, and how they managed to get away with it, especially at such a time and place. Although she did not show it, she dreamed about having such ability. To freely go out in midday and kill someone, not having to worry about manners or reputation. She secretly wished to meet this admirable felon and learn from him or her.

The Trio: If you wish to follow Euandros, Guinevere, and Lucan, Go to Chapter 2

OR

Double trouble: If you wish to follow the path of Gia and Mystra Go to Chapter 3