Masquerade

Demon's and Blacksmiths

The night felt a cold and brisk one. Men locked their doors up for the night, while the women sang songs of business and care for their young, brittle children. Jade Avon; a quiet sub-urben neighbourhood close to the border of Wales; the western heart of modern Britain. Though, the town itself had been around for as long any man would remember.

In the middle ages, it was a farming land full of tales of black lions and shaggy beasts that ruled the area's forestry and where the wolves hunted their cattle and sheep to the seldom light of a red moon. In world war one it was converted into a mining land with trains running through the heart of it's pristine lands and lakes with the coal, the gold, the silver and copper taken from it's soil. Yet these mine's never lasted.

The places that made up Jade Avon: Cannock, Hednesford,Staffordshire and the south way were inhabited by creatures that were neither man nor animal. But a beast that would rage war with itself and split the land into two sides. The Lake district and The Chase.

Shayden Gray lived in the Lake District of Jade Avon, in a small cottage home near the tracks of the old station line. Every day he'd spend his time fishing near the soft sands of his home, sat on an old watch tower just above the bank casting lines into the ocean and eating crackers just like every normal person from a lake county would.

This night however, under the full radiance of a shimmering red moon, he sat on the church roof as if he were watching- waiting for something to pass him of some interest. He lay a spray on the black tile and stone that made up the roof, then out of interest lowered his weight down over the edge to drop on the small ledge of a window, painted by stained glass and the infamous lord saviour.
Or a depiction of him anyway.

The pasture of the church: Brother and Reverent- Paul Chastice waved the light of a drip candle under his feet a few metres down, setting a-light the other candles within the church. Though not seemingly looking at the man perched upon the ledge of the main window, Shay could have guessed he detected his presence by a moving shadow are the stumble of a roof tile that landed on the bench near the altar.
"Mr Gray!" The reverent said in a loud, stern manor.  "A pleasure to see a fine young gentlemen inside my church. Though how does this holy ground not burn or singe your flesh?"
Shayden Chuckled, jumping down and landing clean of the alter. "I dunno myself: God musta sin and change in me, man. But can't a devil praise to da lord in time?" A soft chuckle rumbled from the back of his snake- tongue. .

Paul Chastice was a tall, boney man who looked somewhat middle-aged. The skin on his hands clung to the bone and wrinkled at his fingertips. Grey hair covered his head in a bushy, pixie style cut that, at the back tucked under his black shirt and formal business attire. The white slip collar could be seen tucked under the actual collar of his shirt, just under his chin which pointed up constantly, along with the long witch-like nose he had.
"Someone has demanded to see you, child. A boy out from the city! Bless his soul for traveling so far out. Jaybird Rosathelt. A dutch looking lad, businessman in sword making." Said Chastice
"Mr Rosathelt is anything but blessed." Shay laughed. " It's a surprise to see him then? He hates the country, he bein' one-a-these city fella's un'all."

Shay knew the consequences of a man such as him being in the country-side; for who he was predicted an unearthed fate of some sort, or At Least this was how he was viewed by most people. As the lord Chastice had only seen the man for his brotherly side, presumably when he asked for Shay's appearance in an unruly part of town. A blackened bridge broken by the sweep of the growing sea tide which had turned it into a miniature course-way. This lead from the back of the town (The church building and tailoring factory) over to a small isolated part of land, covered and hidden away by the old woodland trees stripped of their leaves by winters harsh grasp.

"There? Of all Places?" Shay scratched his head. "The incoming water of the tide at such a time would make it impossible to pass to get to him."
"He's asked to see you, of all people if it were...so little a problem I'm sure he would have gone to his step brother. And I assume it's not work related as you've never been fond of the idea of swords and being around them Shay."

Shay nodded his head in agreement. " If anything, I assume it be summut to do with breaching. Or... Other ungodly things."

Chastice reached over the altar, picking up a picture. Two men were hugging and smiling greatly with a young child in their arms in it. One of them being himself. The other was a slightly smaller man, younger by a large Comparison too. The man hugging Chastice to the left of him had wide, smiling fiery eyes and long black hair to his shoulders, which was cut to groove into his neck. The child they held was darkly skinned, chubby staring up with a rare complexion of Goldish-Red in his eyes. Chastice smiled as he turned the frame on its back.

For the Lord can gift us relatives of blood and Families of love.
December 26th 1999

"Then good look in coming to terms with my step brother. As friendly as he can be I've noticed a slight poison he has towards specific people. More of a manipulative creature he is. Then again I wouldn't believe him to be as clean is he'd like to show himself to be." Chastise lit the final light within the church, beckoning Shay to go. Despite the marshes impossibilities, something was wrong- for why would a wealthy middle-class man drag himself through the wet marshes to speak to someone he only knew through a relative? Shay and Jaybird were friends in one way, but more so enemies in another. Yet Shay made easy profit from him; it's why he owns the house after all. So somehow he felt compelled to see what he wanted.

...

The dank, stagnant Rott of wet wood around, punctured Shay's nostrils intensely. He struggled, sniffling and pinching it, trying to breath through his mouth as he waded through the ever rising water. He was right, in fact, if he didn't reach the other side soon he'd find himself swimming. But what was most dangerous about the marsh was the bog that came with it. A thick-oozing mud of oil and rotting sap that could suck you in unexpectedly.

The water had now gotten to waste height and Shay was finding it difficult to keep a steady balance on his own. Soon enough his clothes had gotten wet to the point they were weighing him down. So, he tried to take them off only to land backwards into the water.